Dear Members,

The Tasmania Government has provided the following information regarding managing an outbreak in your business. More information can be found HERE


Responding to a case or outbreak in your workplace or business

With increasing case numbers in Tasmania, a case will be advised to tell their workplace they have tested positive for COVID-19 so information can be provided to other staff.

A business may also find out a worker has tested positive in some instances from Public Health. If the worker is still in the workplace, they must be directed to go home. They will be required to isolate for a minimum of 7 days from the day they had the test. Workplaces should advise all other staff to monitor for symptoms and get tested if symptoms develop and isolate until they get a negative test result.

To assist in keeping all Tasmanians safe, workplaces should ensure all staff continue to practice COVID Safe behaviours including wearing masks while indoors, practicing hand hygiene and advising staff to avoid having meal breaks and meetings together in enclosed spaces. Employers should encourage vaccination for all staff – including a booster.

The following will apply to all businesses:

  • Staff will not be identified as close contacts in the workplace unless they have had household like exposures to cases being longer than 4 hours and without wearing a mask.
  • Businesses and workplaces will not be listed as exposure sites.
  • Public Health will only be in contact if several cases are linked to your premises or event

It is possible some businesses will experience staff shortages due to isolation of cases who have been exposed in the community and to quarantining of close contacts who live in the same household as a case.

The initial steps Public Health may ask you to take are to:

  1. Review and activate your COVID-19 Safety Plan and/or Outbreak Management Plan.
    Instruct people in your setting to wear face masks.
  2. Support Public Health contact tracing by collecting and providing any additional staffing and visitor information that has not been collected via the Check in TAS app. This may include staffing rosters, manual check in/visitor log sheets or spreadsheets.
  3. Advise any contacts you may identify to quarantine at home and follow the quarantine instructions.
  4. Communicate with your staff and contractors about the case or outbreak to ensure they monitor for symptoms and get tested if symptoms develop.
  5. Organise cleaning and disinfection of frequently touched areas, as outlined in your COVID-19 Safety Plan. Read about cleaning and disinfection after a case
  6. Continue to encourage COVID-safe behaviours including physical distancing, hand hygiene, advising staff and visitors to stay at home if unwell, and covering coughs and sneezes.

*Important: depending on the circumstances, if the confirmed case is an employee, you may also be required by law to notify WorkSafe Tasmania of the case.


Yours sincerely,

Brendan Tohill | Chief Executive Officer
NLNA – National Lotteries and Newsagents Association