Hospital at centre of Tasmania outbreak reopens

The hospital at the centre of a deadly coronavirus outbreak in northwest Tasmania will fully reopen a month after it was forced to close.

The North West Regional Hospital and its private counterpart in Burnie shut in mid-April after dozens of healthcare workers tested positive.

After a staggered resumption, services at the facility will be fully operational on Thursday, the state government has announced.

Defence force personnel and an AusMAT team, usually reserved for emergency disaster relief, were initially called in to get services online after 1200 staff were forced to quarantine.

"This has been one of the biggest and most complex logistical exercises ever undertaken by our health staff," Health Minister Sarah Courtney said today.

A state government report found the most likely origin of the hospital cluster was infected Ruby Princess passengers returning to the state.

Twelve of the island's thirteen deaths have been in the northwest, while about two-thirds of a total 225 cases have come in the region.

An independent review into the outbreak has been promised by the state government.

Tasmania has gone five days without a COVID-19 case and just four infections have been recorded this month.

Cafes and restaurants are among businesses allowed to open on Monday under the first stage of a plan to ease restrictions.

Those working in the struggling hospitality and tourism sectors were on Wednesday offered free courses in related subjects by the University of Tasmania.

"It has been devastating to see the hard work and ingenuity of Tasmanian operators and their staff undercut by something which is completely beyond their control," University Vice-Chancellor Rufus Black said.

"We see these courses as a way of supporting Tasmania and Tasmanians to stay engaged, to build knowledge."