The contractor had temporarily stood down 10 workers at the Launceston Airport, while 28 workers at the Hobart Airport would be similarly affected.

A spokeswoman for Swissport said the workers were being stood down as a temporary measure following a drop in flight volume from the mainland.

"Regrettably, there is not enough work for all our team, and we have had to stand down a small proportion of our staff," she said.

READ MORE: Man dies, woman seriously injured after island crash

"The local aviation industry faces restricted demand in light of the Covid-19 pandemic and current border closures."

The spokeswoman said Swissport's operations in Tasmania had been directly impacted by the lockdowns in NSW and Victoria, resulting in reduced flight volumes of approximately 60 per cent in recent weeks.

According to the spokeswoman no staff had been laid off , with some electing to use their paid annual leave, while others would complete additional training.

READ MORE: Tasmanian borders to reopen to Victoria

She said Swissport had started the process of advising its workers of the company's decision, which would come into effect next week.

Following the announcement Labor's candidate for Bass Ross Heart renewed his call for the federal government to implement a form of income support for Tasmanian workers who had been affected by the mainland lockdowns.

"Fortunately we have not gone into a lockdown, but we have been affected by the flow-on effects of the lockdowns in NSW and Victoria," he said.

READ MORE: Green light for six-storey hotel in heart of Launceston

He said programs like JobKeeper needed to take a more holistic approach and look at people who had been impacted outside the lockdown zones.

"We have an economy that relies heavily on freight and tourism and the federal government needs to introduce some sort of income support for workers who have been impacted by the lockdown," he said.

Swissport's spokeswoman said the company would monitor the situation and hoped the issue would soon be resolved as restrictions eased.

READ MORE: How council plans to award rare honour to Ariarne Titmus

"The recent positive news out of Victoria will hopefully see a path to the lifting of restrictions and return of flight volumes," she said.

However, the border between NSW and Tasmania would remain shut after NSW recorded 170 new locally acquired cases of COVID-19 on Friday.

Of the 170 cases in the 24 hours to 8pm on Thursday, at least 52 were in the community during part or all of their infectious period, with 58 patients currently in intensive care, with 24 ventilated.

Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can continue to access our trusted content:

Follow us on Google News: The Examiner