Premier Peter Gutwein issues strict warning for people to stay at home over Easter

Police helicopters will be used as “eyes in the sky” to patrol roads and intercept people trying to go to their shacks, as fines and jail time loom for those flouting COVID-19 lockdown restrictions.

“THE gloves are off” in the fight against coronavirus in Tasmania, Premier Peter Gutwein has declared as authorities talk tough on strict new measures to keep people at home.

In his sternest warning yet to Tasmanians, a frustrated Premier said while most were doing the right thing, a small percentage continued to flout the rules.

Mr Gutwein said helicopters will be used to create “eyes in the sky” to detect those ignoring warnings and taking the risk of travelling to their shack.

REVISED SCHEDULE The State Government has modified arrangements for its regular briefings on coronavirus during the Easter period. All briefings will be streamed live on our Facebook page. Friday - No daily briefing Saturday - 11am Sunday - 11am Monday - 11am

The Government has repeatedly urged Tasmanians not to follow their usual Easter traditions for fear of the virus spreading into smaller and more vulnerable communities.

Mr Gutwein said reports of campers and trailers heading to the East Coast for the holiday period was unacceptable.

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“I have been fair. I have been reasonable and I have taken every step and every precaution that we can to save lives. But we will only save lives if Tasmanians follow the rules,’’ Mr Gutwein said.

“And to be frank, today, the gloves come off. I’ve spoken to the Police Commissioner [Darren Hine] this morning ... we are going to police this. The period of education is over.

“If you go to a shack and you shouldn’t be there and you don’t have a reasonable excuse to be there and you get a knock on the door, you will be asked to leave and go back to your primary residence.

“If you don’t leave, then you can be arrested, you will be summonsed and you will be charged.”

Fines of up to $16,800 or up to six months in prison can apply for those found guilty of blatant breaches of the rules.

In another example, the Premier said he had heard of a person buying a tin of paint from a hardware store with the intention of painting a spare room at their shack.

“That is not essential maintenance. Don’t play the game with us,’’ he said.

“At the end of the day, essential maintenance or urgent maintenance means if your hot water cylinder bursts, or your roof gets blown off, or somebody burgles your house.”

Mr Gutwein said staying at home over Easter was a small price for people to pay given the devastating consequences already seen from coronavirus in the state.

“In the last two weeks I’ve had to say to parents who have wanted their children to come back from interstate to attend a family funeral that they can’t because they need to be in quarantine,’’ he said.

“We have knocked back numerous requests from families to attend funerals where they wanted more people than the 10 allowed and we’ve been saying no.

“Parents have had to suffer the indignity of making contact with me to ask if they can have a family meeting to explain to their children that one of them is gravely ill.

“And yet we still have Tasmanians that are flaunting the rules.

“For those families that have had to suffer the indignity of making the requests because they wanted to do the right thing, because they are doing the right thing.

“For the thousands of businesses that have been shut down, the tens of thousands of Tasmanians that have lost their jobs, I ask Tasmanians to do the right thing, stay at home and save lives.”