AMA boss calls for patience on restrictions amid ‘cowboy’ calls
South Australia must hold its nerve on maintaining restrictions and not cave in to “cowboy” calls for fast relaxation or risk an escalation of COVID cases, the AMA’s Dr Chris Moy says.
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A senior SA Health official said bringing extended families back together would be one of the first things they would aim for if the state maintains its strong fight against the virus.
“This has been a difficult time for people, particularly when you can’t be with your families or your loved ones,” Deputy Chief Public Health Officer Michael Cusack said on radio station FIVE AA on Tuesday.
But he is hopeful SA could “break the chain” of transmission and get rid of the virus.
“Now that things have moved on and we are seeing these low numbers of cases, I think we are starting to think that this is something that we can potentially get rid of in the state,” he said.
But Dr Cusack warned: “There will no doubt be people coming across borders and so forth where the disease may still arrive and it might blow up again in pockets.
“Within the state, we can certainly look at which restrictions are possible (to lift).
“Potential is the word. At this point, it is difficult to say that we will be making changes in specific areas but, as has been discussed in recent days, this is very much under review on a daily basis,” he said.
The bullish optimism came as the national Cabinet has indicated that it will consider relaxing social-distancing measures in SA by way of ages, towns and suburbs.
The Advertiser understands that these could include age restrictions, such as young adults, and people in specific geographical areas.
Medical experts will tomorrow advise the national Cabinet of a range of options, with Australian-specific modelling expected later this month to determine the risks.
It is thought the Morrison Government’s “road out plan” will focus on opening businesses in office buildings and sectors such as manufacturing.
But the plan depends on states recording low daily infection rates and increased and broad testing.
Premier Steven Marshall said new modelling would be presented to national Cabinet on Thursday that could help guide the road ahead.
“We are really looking forward to having a detailed look at the model to determine when the peak is going to be here, where it’s going to hit, what the likelihood of the magnitude of the peak is going to be,” he said.
Australian Medical Association state president Dr Chris Moy believes authorities need to hold their nerve and stick with restrictions rather than heed “cowboys” calling for a fast-track relaxation.
Dr Moy said Australia’s response, including high levels of testing and tracing contacts, had seen governments “hold their nerve”.