Hospital coronavirus outbreak forces 5,000 Tassies into quarantine

Up to 5,000 Tasmanians face two weeks in quarantine as the state government seeks to limit the spread of a cluster of coronavirus cases on the North West Coast. Two hospitals, North West Regional and North West Private closed on Monday, with patients transferred and hospital staff and their families forced into isolation. Premier Peter Gutwein acknowledged it was a “significant ask” to require the lockdown of the region, but said the priority was to stamp out the risk of community transmission. "Never before has a Premier had to ask a community to do this. I’ve got to admit, the responsibility rests heavily on me in having to make these decisions,” he said. "But I would ask that you work with us. This is the best way that we can get on top of this - that we can stop the spread of this insidious disease, and importantly, that we can save lives." Premier Gutwein on Monday also said the state had requested additional federal resources to assist the state stamp out of the cluster.

from National | Daily Telegraph https://ift.tt/2K1519a