Tasmania’s Director of Public Health has provided an update on the state’s second confirmed coronavirus case

More details have emerged about Tasmania’s second case of coronavirus, including the person’s place of education and work, as health officials move to reassure the public.

A HOBART man who has tested positive for coronavirus ignored the advice of health authorities and went to work at an inner-city hotel while awaiting his results.

The man in his 20s, was asked to self-isolate after being tested on Friday, but did not comply and went to work a shift at the Hotel Grand Chancellor, where he is employed on a casual basis.

His results were returned on Saturday and he tested positive.

Director of Public Health Mark Veitch said the Hobart resident had travelled recently to Nepal and had returned to Tasmania via Singapore.

FIRST CORONAVIRUS CASE FOR HOBART CONFIRMED

Dr Veitch said the man arrived in Tasmania on February 26, and experienced cold-like symptoms the following day.

He developed further symptoms this week and contacted the public health hotline on Friday.

Dr Veitch said the man was tested on Friday and advised to self-isolate until the test results came back, but he ignored the advice and attended work the next day.

“It’s unacceptable for people to continue activities in public or attend work, while waiting for their test results and I ask people in Tasmania to act responsibly always in these circumstances,” he said.

Dr Veitch said the health department was working with the Hotel Grand Chancellor and the Australian Ideal College, where the man is a student and had attended several times recently.

Four household members have been identified as close contacts of the man and are in self-quarantine, Dr Veitch said.

Three non-household friends and one other person have also been identified as close contacts and the health department are working with those people to monitor any symptoms.

The Hotel Grand Chancellor and the Australian Ideal College have been contacted for comment.

It comes after the state’s first case was confirmed in Launceston on Monday.

That case was a 40-year-old man, who remains in hospital in a stable condition.

More than 80 tests have been completed in the state for coronavirus, as the health department continues to monitor close contacts of the Launceston case for any symptoms.

People who have been in mainland China, Italy, Iran or South Korea must self-isolate for 14 days after leaving those countries.

Meanwhile, the health department is bracing for a potential heavy load of cases in coming weeks and months.

The Australian Nurses and Midwifery Federation state secretary Emily Shepherd confirmed some staff had been approached to cancel their annual leave over the coming months.

More to come.