Tests for coronavirus will not be carried out on all Tasmanians who got off a cruise ship in Sydney last week, Director of Public Health Dr Mark Veitch has confirmed.
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The revelation comes after Dr Veitch confirmed three of Tasmania's now 17 coronavirus cases were associated with travel on the Ruby Princess cruise ship, which docked on Thursday.
"We only test people who have symptoms," Dr Veitch advised at a media conference Sunday afternoon.
Coronavirus: All the latest updates on COVID-19 for Tasmania
However, earlier Dr Veitch said 51 of the ship's 2700 passengers had travelled to Tasmania and would be tested for coronavirus.
"We found that a number had symptoms ... none of them were particularly unwell, but all of them are people who we do need to test for coronavirus infection and those tests will be arranged and conducted today and tomorrow.
"All of those people remain in self-isolation.
"It's possible we'll have some more cases of coronavirus infection diagnosed among those people in the next three or four days, but there was also some influenza circulating on that vessel so we may actually diagnose a few cases of flu too."
Most of the group of 51 people who got off the ship and ventured to Tasmania had been contacted and told to go into quarantine.
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However, Dr Veitch said attempts by public health officials to contact two Tasmanian passengers had been unsuccessful.
Dr Veitch said more than 1000 coronavirus tests had been conducted in Tasmania, but he could not confirm how many test kits were available in the state.
"We currently have 17 persons diagnosed with coronavirus," he advised.
"Two cases were diagnosed yesterday. Two people who had traveled together in Europe recently.
"We learnt this morning that a further person who had returned from the United Kingdom very recently also tested positive."
Most of the new confirmed cases remained at home in self-isolation and Dr Veitch said one person was being treated in hospital.
Details about locations of the new cases would be confirmed on Sunday night, Dr Veitch said.
Premier Peter Gutwein stood alongside Dr Veitch at the press conference and again urged Tasmanians to comply with self-isolation and quarantine orders.
"There will be spot checks ... it is an offence if you don't abide by the rules in terms of self isolation," Mr Gutwein said.
"It is important that people follow the rules, if you've been asked to self isolate or go into quarantine then you must do that.
"It doesn't mean that you can go to the shops ... it doesn't mean that you can go to church."
Mr Gutwein told Tasmanians to cancel all non-essential interstate travel and he said the compulsory closure of all schools and a shutdown of non-essential services would be considered at a national cabinet meeting on Sunday night.
"This will get tougher, there will be more measures that we will need to introduce."
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