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Do driving lessons count as 'essential'?

A Victorian teenager learning to drive was hit with a coronavirus-related fine, sparking this question from parents: Can I take my child for a lesson? Here's where each state stands on learner drivers.




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'It shocks us back into realisation': Residents of Tasmania's north west brace for lockdown

Residents are finding ways to cope as a full lockdown looms over the region, with one woman banging pots and pans in support of essential workers, while another considers whether to shut up shop.




ia

Police to use helicopters, door knocks and numberplate scanners to check for coronavirus compliance

With helicopters in the air, police patrols of holiday destinations and numberplate scanning, leaders around the country warn there will be no tolerance for breaches of the strict self-isolation measures.




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They feel Australian, but these foreign visa holders may soon have to leave

Many parts of Australia have worked hard to attract migrants to help boost the population and ageing workforces, but many like Rosan Bhattarai are now without a source of income because they are on temporary visas and can't get access to the JobKeeper program.




ia

Eleven more coronavirus cases in Tasmania as fourth person dies

A fourth person dies of coronavirus in Tasmania on a day when 11 more cases are confirmed, bringing the state's total to 122, health authorities say.




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Eleven new coronavirus cases in Tasmania's north-west as government moves to 'ring fence' outbreak

Tasmania's coronavirus tally reaches 133, with the director of Public Health confirming 11 new cases have been diagnosed in the state's north-west today.




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'United in spirit': How locked-down Australians are planning to mark Anzac Day

Kat Jackson does not play a brass instrument, and neither does her eight-year-old daughter, Neve, but they plan to sound the Last Post in their driveway this Anzac Day.




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Fifth Tasmanian dies of coronavirus as 11 more cases confirmed in the north-west

A Tasmanian woman in her 70s has died of coronavirus, taking the state's death toll to five, as 11 more cases are diagnosed in the north-west.




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Tasmania closes two hospitals to 'stamp out' coronavirus outbreak

Tasmania's Premier Peter Gutwein says the North West Regional Hospital and North West Private Hospital in Burnie close today because of the coronavirus outbreak.



  • Diseases and Disorders
  • Health
  • COVID-19
  • Doctors and Medical Professionals

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Two Tasmanian hospitals to close to contain north-west outbreak

Tasmania’s Premier Peter Gutwein has announced the North West Regional Hospital and North West Private Hospital in Burnie will close because of the coronavirus outbreak. All staff and their households will go into quarantine. That’ll involve more than one thousand people.



  • Diseases and Disorders
  • Infectious Diseases (Other)

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Tasmania calls in ADF medics as coronavirus tally hits 150

Six new cases of coronavirus in the last 24 hours are found in Tasmania, all of the them in the disease hotspot of the state's north-west, bringing the tally to 150.




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Premier decides to isolate up to 5000 Tasmanians

The Tasmanian Government to seek Federal Government and ADF assistance over coronavirus outbreak in the state's north-west.



  • Diseases and Disorders
  • Infectious Diseases (Other)

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Huon from Tasmania asks how long will the COVID-19 situation go on for?

Prime Minister Scott Morrison has answered questions from kids around Australia on the coronavirus pandemic on ABC Me's Behind The News program.



  • Government and Politics
  • Epidemics and Pandemics

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Chief Medical Officer Brendan Murphy warns New Zealand to pay attention to Tasmania's experience.

Chief Medical Officer Brendan Murphy warns New Zealand to pay attention to Tasmania's experience



  • Diseases and Disorders
  • Infectious Diseases (Other)

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More coronavirus cases found in Tasmania's north-west, as death toll rises to six

A 91-year-old woman becomes the sixth Tasmanian to die from coronavirus, as the state's overall tally jumps to 165 cases — with all of the new cases known to be from the disease hotspot of the north-west.



  • Health
  • Diseases and Disorders
  • COVID-19
  • Doctors and Medical Professionals
  • Government and Politics

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Staff at coronavirus-hit Tasmanian hospital angry over lack of PPE, flouting of social distancing

Medical staff working in a coronavirus hotspot in Tasmania's north-west say a relaxed attitude towards hand hygiene and social distancing made it a "slow-motion disaster waiting to happen".



  • Health
  • Diseases and Disorders
  • COVID-19
  • Doctors and Medical Professionals

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Tasmanian coronavirus cluster could happen anywhere, doctors warn

As two hospitals close to clean up amid a coronavirus outbreak in Tasmania's north-west, doctors warn there's nothing unique about the region that means similar outbreaks can't happen anywhere else.




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More coronavirus cases found in Tasmania's north-west as 'testing blitz' announced

More cases of coronavirus are confirmed as being from Tasmania's north-west, on the day Premier Peter Gutwein urges residents with flu-like symptoms to get tested for the deadly disease.




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Fluke sighting of deformed seagull leads to Australian record

An ornithologist who decided to take five while conducting a bird survey in Tasmania could hardly believe his eyes when he spotted a three-footed seagull. But even he had no idea how unusual the find was.




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Seven people charged over alleged 'gathering' on Easter Sunday in Tasmania's north-east

Seven people face charges related to alleged breaches of coronavirus self-isolation directions after police raid a gathering in Tasmania's north-east.




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Coronavirus alert for nursing homes in Tasmanian outbreak zone

Infection protocols are being checked at three Tasmanian nursing homes after contact tracing reveals a healthcare worker from an infected hospital has also worked shifts at three aged care facilities.




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How COVID-19 has changed the workload of Australian paramedics

As the country stays bunkered down during the pandemic, some ambulance services have seen a reduction in call-outs, especially to road accidents. Others say they're dealing with calls about flu-like symptoms that need to go elsewhere.




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Morrison accuses infected Tasmanian aged care worker of dishonesty

The Prime Minister says north-west Tasmania is a classic example of the need for the Federal Government's coronavirus-tracking app, after he accuses a north-west aged care worker of not telling the truth about their movements and contacts.




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Tasmania records seventh coronavirus death, four more cases confirmed

A 72-year-old man becomes the seventh Tasmanian to succumb to coronavirus, as four more cases are confirmed in the north-west. It comes as the emergency department of a hospital at the centre of a coronavirus outbreak reopens.




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Coronavirus claims eighth victim, as Tasmania's north-west gets help from RAAF, ADF

A man who was a patient at a hospital at the centre of a coronavirus outbreak dies after contracting COVID-19, becoming the second death in two days as RAAF and ADF personnel begin work in the disease-hit region.



  • COVID-19
  • Health
  • Diseases and Disorders
  • Government and Politics
  • Federal - State Issues
  • State of Emergency

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'The bush has been a testing ground': Australians are no stranger to the isolated life

Hiking huts are Australia's answer to Scotland's famed bothies and New Zealand's backcountry shacks and stand as a testament of a national identity that has long been intertwined with survival in isolation.




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Aged care resident tests positive for coronavirus in Tasmanian hotspot

Tasmania records its first coronavirus infection in a nursing home, a 79-year-old woman in the state's cluster zone in the north-west, where cases linked to two hospitals prompted a mass quarantine last week.




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Coronavirus tally in Tasmania reaches 200, more cases in northwest hotspot

Another five coronavirus cases in Tasmania's troubled northwest take the tally to 200, as the Health Minister urges people to remain vigilant.




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Police officer charged with manslaughter over crash that killed pedestrian

A Tasmanian police officer is charged over a car crash that killed a pedestrian from New South Wales earlier this year.




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Coronavirus outbreak in Tasmania's north-west 'trailing off', one new case confirmed

The number of coronavirus cases associated with an outbreak in Tasmania's north-west is "trailing off", the state's director of public health says, with additional retail restrictions in place in the region due to be lifted on Sunday night.




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Tens of thousands of visa holders in Tasmania set to benefit from $3m coronavirus support package

The Tasmanian Government unveils a $3 million package to support around 26,000 temporary visa holders stuck in the state because of the coronavirus pandemic.




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Australia's largest ag field days postponed for first time in its history

AgQuip will not run in August, as it has done since 1973, due to the coronavirus pandemic, with organisers flagging November for the event which usually attracts about 100,000 people to north-west NSW.




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Coronavirus tally up by four, as more cases found in Tasmania's north-west

A day after authorities said the coronavirus outbreak in Tasmania may be "trailing off", the tally jumps to 205 with four new cases detected in the past 24 hours — all in the state's north-west.




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No new cases of coronavirus for Tasmania, as north-west cluster blamed on Ruby Princess

Australia's Chief Medical Officer says a coronavirus cluster in Tasmania's north-west was likely sparked by a passenger from the Ruby Princess cruise ship, as the state marks 24 hours without a new case being found.




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Coronavirus tally to 207, as Tasmania's north-west restrictions extended following ninth death

Retail restrictions are extended on Tasmania's north-west coast, as the state records its ninth coronavirus death and 207th case of the disease.




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Small army bands together in Tasmania to feed 'unicorns who fart glitter'

A high school teacher who wanted to thank Tasmania's frontline health workers with a simple gesture has found herself running, for all intents and purposes, a pop-up NGO.




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Australia's smallest state has the nation's worst coronavirus infection rate. How did it happen?

Tasmania had one of the strongest responses to COVID-19 in the country. But on the day the two-person gathering rule was adopted, the state's nightmare quietly began.




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Elderly man becomes 10th Tasmanian to die from coronavirus

Tasmania records its 10th coronavirus death and its ninth in the hotspot north-west region, with another health worker case announced late Saturday.




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'Something's happened up there': Why Aboriginal Tasmanians shun Hobart's mountain top

One Tasmanian Aboriginal elder says the mountain's summit is where her spirit will go when she dies. She wants people to only visit the sacred pinnacle "for good reason".




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Tasmania records 11th coronavirus death, with four new cases confirmed Sunday night

Another elderly person dies from coronavirus in Tasmania's north-west, the state's third death announced in three days, as four new cases are confirmed on Sunday night.




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School resumes in Tasmania this week. Here's what you need to know

Tasmanian mum Leesa Bouman plans to juggle classes at home with her three kids and a one-year-old by taking it "one day at a time" when virtual term two gets underway on Tuesday. What's it going to look like for parents, teachers and students as the COVID-19 crisis continues?




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Claims coronavirus spread due to 'illegal party' of health workers quashed by Tasmania Police

Tasmanian police dismiss allegations, first aired publicly by Australia's Chief Medical Officer, that an "illegal dinner party" of healthcare workers contributed to Tasmania's coronavirus outbreak.




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Four new cases of coronavirus in Tasmania, as more health workers test positive

Tasmania has four new cases of coronavirus to add to its tally, with three being health workers from the state's disease hotspot of the north-west.




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North-west health worker Tasmania's latest coronavirus case

A female healthcare worker "in her 20s" is the latest case of coronavirus confirmed in Tasmania, on the day Australia's Chief Medical Officer apologises for alleging an "illegal dinner party" contributed to the state's outbreak.




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Tasmania records 13th coronavirus death as Government holds firm on restrictions

An elderly woman becomes the 13th Tasmanian to succumb to coronavirus as the Government rules out an easing of state restrictions.




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North-west Tasmania's coronavirus outbreak timeline

Key dates in the outbreak which unfolded in two Tasmanian hospitals, according to a report released by Public Health.




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Coronavirus restrictions to be lifted in north-west Tasmania, as no new cases found

Tighter retail restrictions imposed on Tasmania's north-west after a coronavirus outbreak will be lifted on Sunday night, with the situation "largely under control", Premier Peter Gutwein says, as the state records a day free of new cases.




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'We're used to chaos and disaster': Tasmanian family waits out COVID-19 in the slums of Mozambique

Jessica and James Brewer are volunteering in a Mozambican slum for the fourth year running, only this time they are expecting a child, parenting a toddler and dealing with the challenges of coronavirus.



  • Charities and Community Organisations
  • Foreign Aid
  • Relief and Aid Organisations

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Tasmania clear of coronavirus cases for four days, aged care restrictions to ease

For the fourth day in a row Tasmania records no new cases of coronavirus and announces it will begin to lift restrictions at aged care homes from next Monday.




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Direct Tasmania to New Zealand flights discussed, but new COVID-19 cases identified

The Premier says Tasmania is talking about the first direct flights to New Zealand since the late 1990s if a "trans-Tasman bubble" excluding coronavirus can be maintained, as the state's four-day case-free run crashes with two new cases.