Prof Nicola Spurrier says ‘stay calm as 70 quarantined and 1100 ordered into isolation after new case linked to Thebarton Senior College cluster
SA’s chief public health officer has implored people to “stay calm” while authorities leave no “stone unturned” in their investigation of people linked to a fifth coronavirus case and Thebarton Senior College. Some 70 students are in hotel quarantine and a further 1100 people, including teachers, have been ordered to self-isolate.
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A massive coronavirus trace-and-isolate operation by SA Health has led to the hotel quarantine of 70 students – and a further 1100 people, including teachers, have been ordered to self-isolate.
Fresh restrictions could be introduced as early as Friday, with aged-care centres and gyms likely to be affected.
Officials are desperately trying to prevent an embryonic COVID-19 cluster turning into an outbreak following a new case of a woman in her 20s.
The latest case has been traced to the Thebarton Senior College, where another woman tested positive to the disease earlier this week.
It has led to the closure of the college and 70 adult students are now undergoing 14 days’ isolation in Adelaide CBD medi-hotels under police guard.
It’s also prompted Opposition leader Peter Malinauskas and deputy leader Susan Close to cancel all their plans and go into self-isolation after visiting Thebarton Senior School.
Chief public health officer Professor Nicola Spurrier said the “precautionary” measure was something she decided was necessary to “make sure we get on top of this”.
She implored those affected to “relax, stay calm, and enjoy a little bit of a break”.
Another 1100 students and staff considered “casual contacts” have been ordered to self-isolate as an action plan to stop a potential spread.
“We are not leaving any stone unturned.... because as people know we have really enjoyed a fantastic lifestyle here in SA with our lifting of restrictions,” she told FIVEaa radio on Friday..
“Even just one case in the wrong place can get out of control very quickly.
“This is safest, not only for the young people who may develop symptoms, it means we can monitor them very closely every day, but also for their families as well.”
South Australians can expect to see targeted restrictions rolled out, with lessons from Victoria and NSW being discussed at the transition committee and national Cabinet meetings.
“The entire country is on high alert and Victoria is still not at its peak,” Premier Steven Marshall said.
Mr Marshall said the state was closely monitoring aged care facilities.
“We know that residential aged-care facilities can be particularly vulnerable so we are constantly monitoring them and considering reduced access,” he said.
He said the committee would also be looking at gymnasiums and density measures, as well as caps on international arrivals.
The students in quarantine – all aged over 18 – and also those in self-isolation will be given materials and online resources by the Education Department to help with their studies.
It is understood the matter stemmed from a Blair Athol man in his 20s who returned from Victoria and self-isolated in the Walkers Arms Hotel.
He passed the infection to a hotel cleaner as well as a woman who attended the Thebarton college, who in turn passed it on another woman and now the latest case.
Professor Spurrier believes hotel quarantine is the safest place for close contacts of the latest case.
“We have decided the safest place for these young people to quarantine is in the medi-hotel,” she said.
“It is the safest way of doing this quarantine.”
Health and Wellbeing Minister Stephen Wade said it has “always been made clear” there might be more cases.
He said the response would be to swiftly trace and isolate to prevent a “case becoming a cluster becoming an outbreak”.
Thebarton Senior College was due to reopen on Friday to students following thorough cleaning but will remain closed.
Officials will be on hand to turn students away.
It comes as South Australia’s record-breaking COVID testing will be turbo-charged by a new machine capable of processing 800 tests a day.
The Canadian-made Panther machine at the Royal Adelaide Hospital is similar to ones already in use for sexually transmitted disease testing but has been repurposed to test for coronavirus.
Testing – seen as crucial to stop the disease – hit new records this week, topping more than 6000 tests on Wednesday.
This included more than 900 on the first day of the new drive-through clinic at Victoria Park.
A new seven-day drive-through clinic opened at Aldinga on Thursday.
Premier Steven Marshall praised the public for responding to calls by health officials to get tested if they have even minor respiratory symptoms, noting when the pandemic hit SA Pathology was aiming for 500 tests a day.
“Now we are doing in excess of 5000,” he said.
With the state transition committee and National Cabinet due to meet on Friday Mr Marshall urged the public to remain vigilant.
He said the government would “increase restrictions commensurate with risk” but not impose them for longer than necessary. New SA Health rules now restrict patients in hospital emergency departments and at outpatient clinics to one visitor per day.
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