Soldiers to keep eye on workers

AN army brigade has been brought in to Tasmania to help run hotel quarantine for overseas seasonal workers.

An Air Force KC- 30A landed at Hobart airport on Monday night carrying 60 Australian Defence Force members from the Townsville 3rd Brigade.

A flight carrying 150 workers from TimorLeste will arrive in Hobart on Wednesday. The workers will undergo 14 days of hotel quarantine and COVID- 19 testing.

AN army brigade has arrived in to Tasmania to help run hotel quarantine for overseas seasonal workers.

An Air Force KC- 30A landed at Hobart airport on Monday evening carrying sixty Australian Defence Force members from the Townsville 3rd Brigade.

The army’s arrival precedes a flight carrying 150 seasonal workers from East Timor, due to land in Hobart on December 2.

Premier Peter Gutwein said while the number of Tasmanians taking up seasonal fruit picking work had doubled to 6000 this year, overseas workers were still required to make up the workforce of around 9000 required by the industry.

Mr Gutwein said overseas workers would undergo 14 days of hotel quarantine including mandatory health screening and COVID- 19 testing. “They will need to provide a negative test before going out into our community,” he said.

The ADF will also help run hotel quarantine for Australians returning from overseas via Tasmania.

A mercy flight from Delhi will arrive in Hobart on December 6 after being delayed following the hotel quarantine breach in South Australia. The overseas arrivals will use an aircraft hangar and will not travel through the arrivals terminal.

Mr Gutwein said Tasmanian needed to “do our bit” to help Australians returning from overseas.

He said the army would help process the arrivals and run hotel quarantine with police.

“They will facilitate through Border Force the arrival of Australians through the Hobart airport,” he said.

“Tasmanian Police will be managing and supervising the security arrangements 24/ 7 at the quarantine hotel with the support of the ADF.”

There will be a limited private security presence on hand in the quarantine hotels.

In terms of interstate borders, Tasmania is now open to travel from all states apart from South Australia which continues to be classes as a medium- risk location.