Covid complications as yacht stopped because crew members had been in Sydney

The worsening coronavirus outbreak in Sydney has wreaked havoc with the Christmas plans of returning Tasmanians, many of whom now have to go into 14 days of quarantine instead. LATEST >>

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THE worsening coronavirus outbreak in Sydney has wreaked havoc with the Christmas plans of returning Tasmanians, many of which now have to go into 14 days of quarantine instead.

Among those caught up in the impacts of the COVID-19 cluster were six people who had been left in limbo on a yacht off Lady Barron Island on Tasmania’s north-east tip, after stopping there on Saturday due to bad weather.

Sydney Hobart Yacht Race 2004, Day 2 Tilting At Windmills Soars across Bass Strait Pic Ian Mainsbridge

Those aboard the yacht, which had travelled from Sydney last week before border restrictions were announced, were initially told to turn around.

But they will now be allowed to complete their quarantine in Tasmania.

Tasmania Police said it had made contact with the crew and were working to ensure its compliance with Tasmania’s border restrictions.

This comes after the Greater Sydney region was announced as a medium-risk jurisdiction by the state’s Public Health Director on Saturday, causing major headaches for returning Tasmanians just days before Christmas.

On Sunday, acting Public Health director Scott McKeown said anyone who spent time in the Greater Sydney area in the previous 14 days needs to quarantine upon arrival — either in government accommodation at your own expense, or in a suitable residence.

Three flights from Melbourne, Brisbane and Sydney are processed after arriving at Hobart. Picture Chris Kidd

“Other people in this residence who haven’t travelled with you will not be required to quarantine. However, you must ensure appropriate social distancing occurs and you will not be able to have visitors to the residence during the quarantine period,” he said.

He said anyone who has been in the Northern Beaches area since December 11 must apply for an Essential Traveller exemption and quarantine requirements will apply.

“Around 300 people who have arrived from NSW before midnight on Saturday night when the new restrictions came in have self-isolated and made contact with Public Health as directed,” he said.

A Tasmania Police spokesman said the crew on board the yacht were understood to include some Tasmanians who indicated they left Sydney on December 14.

“Tasmania’s current border restrictions require anyone arriving in Tasmania from the Greater Sydney area to apply for a G2G Pass and quarantine requirements apply,” he said.

A government spokesman said the police had provided the crew with fuel and other essential supplies.

Three flights from Melbourne, Brisbane and Sydney are processed after arriving at Hobart. Picture Chris Kidd

A state government spokesman said the current restrictions were in place to ensure safety.

“As the Premier said, the safety of all Tasmanians must come first, and we make no apologies for our strong border restrictions that are designed to lessen the risk of an outbreak occurring in Tasmania,” he said.

Several flights from Sydney arrived at Hobart Airport on Sunday, with passengers being processed and a determination made about whether they could quarantine at home or in hotels.

On Sunday, about 125 repatriated Australians that arrived two weeks earlier on a mercy flight from India’s capital Delhi were allowed out of hotel quarantine at Hobart’s Best Western.

This included a family of four that previously tested positive for the virus, with Public Health clearing the family and releasing them from isolation on Saturday night.

Those four positive cases had been being treated in isolation at the Fountainside Hotel in Hobart.

Tasmania now has zero active cases of COVID-19.