Stayhome?: The impact of Covid-19 on unaccompanied homeless children in Tasmania

On 19 March 2020, the Tasmanian Government declared a Public Health Emergency, and subsequently a State of Emergency, in response to the global spread of the Covid-19 virus. This State of Emergency included travel restrictions, mandatory quarantine periods, and broad public health measures that enforced social distancing and required people to stay at home, except for activities deemed essential. Nationally, the directive to '#StayHome' became a media trend, with the hashtag even displayed by Australia's major telecommunications company in place of its own network name (Telstra) from March to June 2020. In the housing and homelessness sectors, the economic impact of restrictions and the social impact of stay-at-home requirements triggered rapid advocacy on mortgage and rent stabilisations, proactive accommodation of rough sleepers in some Australian states, and, where possible, the fast-forwarding of social housing investment.