A man in his 80s died in Royal Hobart Hospital overnight, Tasmanian Premier Peter Gutwein told reporters this morning.
It follows the death of a woman, also aged in her 80s, in the North West Regional Hospital in Burnie on Monday morning.
It’s the second death in the state and third announced across the country in only 24 hours.
Gutwein said it was a “very sad time”.
“This is two deaths in Tasmania, two deaths too many, and it serves as a warning to us all that these are going to be tough and difficult times and we must all do our part to keep Tasmania safe,” he said.
Tasmania has 69 confirmed cases of coronavirus.
Both deaths in the state have been linked to the Ruby Princess cruise ship.
The ship sparked anger within the community when it docked in Sydney twice earlier this month.
Most recently, on March 18, hundreds of passengers freely disembarked and spread through the community, despite several displaying flu-like symptoms.
Since then, more than 200 cases of coronavirus have been traced to the ship, including three deaths.
There have now been eight deaths in New South Wales, four in Victoria, two in Western Australia, two in Tasmania, two in Queensland and one in the ACT.
More than 4300 cases have been confirmed in Australia.
