Tasmania has banned non-essential visitors from entering the state via the Spirit of Tasmania ferry in tightened coronavirus measures.
Only essential travellers or Tasmanians returning home are allowed to use the TT-Line Bass Strait service, Premier Peter Gutwein announced on Tuesday.
“As from today, if you are travelling to Tasmania and it’s non-essential travel, do not come. Do not get on the TT-Line,” he said.
“What we will do is turn you around and ask you to go back.”
Mr Gutwein said a “hard lockdown” of the state is being considered, where only essential services will remain open.
“We’re working through those processes,” he said.
“I want to say very, very clearly to Tasmanians – if the advice is that we should move to more severe measures, then we will move.”
The island state has recorded 28 coronavirus cases, six new ones overnight, but none through local transmission.
Three people who contracted the deadly virus have recovered.
State Sport and Recreation Minister Jane Howlett is in self isolation after her chief of staff was in close contact with a confirmed case of COVID-19.
Ms Howlett had travelled with her staffer to a recent national meeting of sports ministers in Townsville.
The staffer was subsequently contacted by Queensland Health.
Tasmanian Police is setting up “compliance teams” to ensure businesses told to shut are obeying the nation-wide order, Mr Gutwein said.
Four of the state’s overnight cases were aboard the Ruby Princess cruise ship, one was on the Celebrity Solstice and one had recently returned from overseas.
AAP