Belair family hoping tests stay negative after being ordered into hotel quarantine
Just hours after being told by SA Health to pack their bags, a bus arrived at their home to deliver a Belair couple and their three children to a medi-hotel.
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A family already in home quarantine were given no choice when told by SA Health to pack and be moved into the Pullman medi-hotel from their four bedroom house at Belair.
Alicia Connole, partner Jason Coombe and children Zack, 15, Zara, 4 and Mila, 2 next month, attended a birthday party at Tenafeate Winery in a group of 18 people when it became an exposure site.
“It all happened so fast it was a bit of a blur, they told us we had to pack and move and so we just went along with it,” Alicia, 40, said.
“We later found out others in our group had been allowed to quarantine at home so we thought that was a bit strange but that may have changed. Zack is a very active teen and the two girls are busy so it has been a challenge being cooped up in here.”
The family was celebrating Alicia’s best friend’s birthday party at the winery and received text messages on Monday night last week telling them to quarantine and get tested — they were tested early on the Tuesday and the result was negative.
On Wednesday Alicia’s friend, who she was sitting next to at the party, tested positive, along with her husband, father and stepmother.
The same day, Alicia and Jason received a phone call from SA Health checking their movements since the party and were told to pack as they would have to move to a medi-hotel.
“We were told everyone who was at the winery would be taken to a hotel so we packed and that afternoon a 30-seater bus arrived to take the five of us to the Pullman,” Alicia said.
“It all happened so quickly, we were a bit nervous but we thought this is what we had to do so we just rolled with it and here we are.
“I guess because my friend sitting next to me tested positive I was classed as a high risk. It also allows them to test us without us going into the community.”
Chief public health officer Professor Nicola Spurrier says such cases at exposure sites are assessed on a risk matrix with people at highest risk being moved to medi-hotels.
The family’s day five test has come back negative and they are getting daily calls checking for symptoms.
Zack has been doing online schooling — despite distractions from his sisters — and Alicia who works for an accountant and Jason who is a draftsman have been rising before dawn to get some work done remotely before the children wake up.
“We can’t really complain in that they have been looking after us and even though the kids are very active we are now all resigned to just sitting it out and hoping we stay negative,” Alicia said.
“If they are going to put families into medi-hotels it would be good to have proper family facilities though — washing dishes in the bathroom is not ideal.”
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