Preserving the thousands of tributes outside Hillcrest Primary School is being carefully considered by a Social Recovery Taskforce.

Devonport Mayor Annette Rockliff said with a steady flow of people continuing to visit with floral and other tributes to the school, it is important to ensure access continues and people are allowed to mourn and pay their respects without distraction.

Cr Rockliff said the Social Recovery Taskforce is made up of representatives from the Tasmanian Health Service, Department of Education, Department of Premier and Cabinet, Department of Communities and Devonport City Council, and has historically provided a unified approach to support the community in times like these.

“We’ve been giving a lot of thought to just how we deal respectfully with this outpouring of love from our community,” Cr Rockliff said.

“The Social Recovery Taskforce has sought advice from those who worked on preserving the Bourke St tributes in 2017, and on other similar tragedies on how best to sensitively deal with such situations.

“The outpouring of support for the Hillcrest Primary School community has been extraordinary and it shows how much our close-knit community is rallying to support one another, in any way that we can.”

Cr Rockliff said due to today’s rain, some large plastic boxes would be available for those who wished to continue to deliver any tributes, during the inclement weather.

She said where possible, cards have been removed and placed in plastic covers to protect them from the rain.