Peter Gutwein,Premier
The protection of the community is our highest priority as we continue to deal with the COVID-19 outbreak in Tasmania's North West.
The measures we have taken are tough and will impact many thousands of people and their families, but they are what is needed to control the outbreak and save lives.
The impact on hospital staff in the North-West is significant and I thank the Federal Government for their assistance in providing additional resources to assist our health system, following a request from the State Government.
An AUSMAT (Australian Medical Assistance team) will arrive in Tasmania this week along with members of the Australian Defence Force to ensure emergency services at the North West Regional Hospital are able to come back online once a deep clean of the area has been completed.
I want to reassure everyone in the North-West region that if you are experiencing a medical emergency, do not hesitate to call 000 as we do have the resources in place to get you the care you need.
These are unprecedented times but these measures are necessary to protect the community from the coronavirus threat, and I ask the community to work with us so we can control the outbreak and save lives.
Our best weapon against coronavirus is social distancing, so please: stay home, save lives.
