ScoMo has said a health care worker was dishonest with authorities

Prime Minister Scott Morrison made a shocking revelation on Tasmanian radio this morning about the North West outbreak.

PRIME Minister Scott Morrison raised a shocking revelation on morning radio in Tasmania about a coronavirus-positive male health care worker.

Mr Morrison said the worker was not honest about how long he had been unwell nor revealed the fact he had performed shifts in aged care facilities while sick, it appears.

He also said it seemed the troubling coronavirus outbreak in the state’s North West stems from a health care worker being dishonest with authorities.

It came after the State recorded 11 new COVID-19 cases overnight to take the state’s total to 180.

Ten of those cases were connected to the outbreak in the North West.

Two were former patients, four were close contacts of former cases and four were health workers – one of which was the male who had worked at the North West Regional Hospital and three local aged care homes.

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On Triple M in an interview with Brian Carlton, Mr Morrison said the North West outbreak was a classic demonstration of the importance of accurately tracing where those infected with the virus had been and who they had been in contact with.

“Someone down there was not telling the truth to contact tracers about who have they been in contact with,” Mr Morrison said.

“That puts people at risk.”

The PM’s claim the man had not initially told authorities he had worked in the aged care during the potential infectious period were backed up by Tasmania’s Director of Public Health.

Dr Veitch said Tasmanian authorities had not provided specific advice to the Prime Minister on the matter but local authorities did learn on Wednesday night the worker had been sick earlier in April than first advised.

“We then threw the tracing net wider and that’s when it came up that there could be a small risk of infection in the aged care sector,” Dr Veitch said.

It is the second time in a week revealations about the possible source of the North West’s coronavirus outbreak has come from the mainland.

Earlier in the week Australia’s chief medical officer Brendan Murphy told a conference in New Zealand the outbreak was linked to a dinner party nurses and doctors had attended in Burnie.

Dr Murphy later walked back from that claim saying he had no evidence it was true.

Premier Peter Gutwein if the worker had made omissions in his details to officials steps would be taken.

“The steps that have led to the outbreak will bear inspection,” Mr Gutwein said.

He stressed the focus now was to get on top of the outbreak and there would be time for reflection and how it happened later.

“The person involved needs a chance to provide their view. At the end of it we will have a conclusion and make it public.”

Testing of all residents and staff at Coroneagh Park in Penguin, Eliza Purton in Ulverstone and Melaleuca in East Devonport will now be undertaken.