Coronavirus Adelaide: Bus routes slashed as commuter traffic plummets
Bus routes have been cut as commuter traffic plummets but there may be a glimmer of hope for South Australia as coronavirus infection rates appear to stabilise.
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The axe has fallen on some bus services with a 70 per cent drop in commuters.
Minister for Transport Stephan Knoll said after midnight services on Saturday would be cut from tonight.
The city connector route, which took in North Adelaide, will cease today and the J1X airport to city shuttle was suspended today.
“Other Adelaide Metro services will continue to run as usual to ensure essential public transport services continue for the community,’’ Mr Knoll said..
“It’s important people listen to the current advice which is to stay home and only travel if it is essential for things such as work or shopping for food.
“The J1X airport to city shuttle service has had an 85 per cent decrease in patronage and the after midnight services a 92 per cent decrease on usual figures.’’
Mr Knoll would not rule out future changes to adapt to the drop-off of the system by the public.
— Miles Kemp
11 new cases in SA as Australia enters new phase
South Australia has recorded a further 11 coronaviruses cases today – including three from the Ruby Princess cruise ship.
There have now been 396 confirmed cases, 85 of which have come from the Ruby Princess. The new cases bring the total number of cruise ship cases in the state to 116.
There were no further infections found in children and Chief Public Health Officer Nicola Spurrier said 46 people had now recovered.
Patients range in age from their 20 to their 60s, she said this afternoon.
Premier Steven Marshall said Australia appeared to be entering a new phase in its fight to slow the spread of the virus, but warned against complacency.
Drakes, Maccas workers test positive
A supermarket and a McDonald’s restaurant near Adelaide Airport will continue trading, despite staff at each store testing positive to coronavirus.
In a statement released on Thursday, it was revealed one worker at a Drakes supermarket at the Fulham Gardens Shopping Centre caught the virus through a link with a cluster of infections at Adelaide Airport.
A worker at a nearby McDonald’s restaurant also tested positive.
Both stores said they were cleared by SA Health to continue trading.
Drakes Supermarkets owner Roger Drake said the risk of transmission at the Fulham Gardens shop is “extremely low”.
“Based on our high standards of regular sanitisation and cleaning protocols, and on advice of the SA Health department, we will continue to trade and service our customers,” he said in a statement posted on their website.
The infected supermarket team member worked on Monday from 7am to noon and on Tuesday from 5pm to 9.20pm.
All staff members who were in direct contact have been told to self-isolate.
Both businesses are close to a National Pharmacies store at Findon, where workers tested positive to COVID-19.
A McDonald’s spokeswoman said “there is no suggestion the crew member was exposed to COVID-19 in the restaurant”.
“The South Australian Department of Health has advised the restaurant is able to continue to trade. “
SA Health could not confirm if the McDonald’s worker caught the virus from the airport cluster.
Tough restrictions extended
Meanwhile, harsh restrictions aimed at thwarting the spread of the coronavirus in the community have been extended for another 28 days.
Police Commissioner Grant Stevens has revealed the Governor has approved the extension – which will come into force tomorrow.
The extension to the declaration of a major emergency means the restrictions – which include social gatherings of more than 10 individuals, lockouts from hotels and restaurants and some medical procedures – remain in force.
“The directions would lapse when the major emergency is no longer in operation,’’ Mr Stevens said.
“Over the course of the next couple of weeks we will be assessing what we need to do to maintain the focus we have now.
“It may require a further extension of the declaration which means the current directions would continue.
“If we saw there was a change in the behaviour of the virus that would enable us not relax some of those restrictions, then we could do that when we still have the declaration up and running.
“But as of tomorrow everything we continue and we will assess it daily.’’
Despite dramatic moves by Western Australia and Queensland to close their borders completely, Mr Stevens said there was no move for similar action here.
He said existing border restrictions and checkpoints that were in place on arterial roads and at the airport were adequate.
“Through that process we are capturing a significant number of people who are travelling into SA,’’ he said.
“The measures we have seen in other jurisdictions would present some significant challenges for us here if the principle was to entirely shut down the state because we have so many roads into SA that the implications from a resourcing point of view would be substantial.’’
The current restrictions had resulted in a “significant reduction’’ in the number of people travelling to SA.
Hospitals brace for pandemic peak
Also today, the former Wakefield Hospital site is being refitted with key equipment and more beds in the State Government’s latest effort to prepare a place for critical patients to receive treatment in the peak of the coronavirus pandemic.
A new $1.9 million CT-scanner, and an oxygen tank will arrive at the site today. The site has been refitted with 70 beds, and a further 65 will be added next week.
Meanwhile, a crane will today install an important chiller to service an additional 90 beds that will be added to wards five, six, seven and eight of the Repat.
Premier Steven Marshall said bolstering the state’s hospitals is part of a plan to prepare South Australia for what may eventuate amid the coronavirus pandemic.
“We are focused on preparing our health system for the challenges that may lie ahead during this global crisis,” Mr Marshall said.
“To protect your health we are committed to slowing the spread of the virus while significantly boosting capacity within our health system.”
Mr Marshall said the investment has the benefit of keeping the economy moving in challenging times by supporting construction jobs for South Australians.
Minister for Health Stephen Wade said the CT scanner will be a key tool for treating patients at Wakefield until the pandemic is fought.
The scanner will be moved to The Queen Elizabeth Hospital continuing the renewal of the hospital following the pandemic.
It follows yesterday’s announcement from the State Government, which brought forward the expansion of Flinders Medical Centre Emergency Department to provide a further treatment spaces over the next few months.
“This will complement an additional 278 beds at ECH College Park, the old Wakefield Hospital and the Repat, which all form part of our strong response to the COVID-19 threat,” Minister Wade said.
“Around the world, some governments underestimated the threat of the coronavirus. Around the world, some governments failed to plan for an effective response.
“We have done neither. We have backed our public health clinicians and the broader health system.”
Updated heatmap reveals more suburban hotspots
Mitcham, Marion and Charles Sturt have been revealed as Adelaide’s coronavirus hotspots in a new Advertiser heatmap that, alongside the number of cases, shows the population and median age for every area so you can put the data in context.
Updated data released on Wednesday night showed Marion and Charles Sturt were now in the same band as Mitcham.
The Advertiser has enhanced the SA Health data by creating an interactive map that shows relevant population and demographic information for each council area.
Read the full story and see the heatmap here
Wine family lifts morale with community spirit
SA-based Angove Family Winemakers has dug deep to boost the spirits of its local community in Renmark, making and delivering sanitisers for the medical staff at the local centre and hospital and in Adelaide for free.
Managing director Richard Angove said some of the hand sanitisers had also made their way to a small number of health professionals in Adelaide.
“Because we are only at the start of our distillation season we only have a small amount of high alcohol in stock, the other issue is sourcing the other ingredients necessary to make the sanitiser, which are in low supply.
Read the full story here
Labor calls for border permits
Special permits would be required for people to cross the South Australian border, under a plan being pushed by State Opposition leader Peter Malinauskas.
Mr Malinauskas has urged SA to follow in the footsteps of West Australia and Queensland and implement ‘hard border closures.’
SA has already closed its borders by making everyone that enters go into an automatic 14 day self-isolation period.
But Mr Malinauskas’ measures would block entry to SA to everyone except for a limited number of exemptions including SA residents, health and emergency service workers, freight and compassionate grounds.
An exempt person would need to acquire a permit before crossing the border once hard border measures were in place.
South Australians would require proof of residency, such as a drivers licence.
Under his plan South Australians would still be required to self-quarantine for 14 days.
“We need to be doing everything we can to protect South Australians and slow the spread of coronavirus,” Mr Malinauskas said.
“A hard closure of the border is another sensible measure.”
“We are willing to work with the State Government on any legislative changes required to make this happen.” – Matt Smith
18 new cases confirmed
Chief Public Health Officer Nicola Spurrier is “cautiously optimistic” that the massive effort to combat coronavirus is flattening the curve as SA recorded 18 new cases for a total of 385 on Thursday.
Nineteen people are in hospital including seven in intensive care – all men, aged 52 to 77 – and five are in critical condition.
However, 44 people have now recovered and 322 are being treated in home isolation due to relatively mild symptoms.
One of the latest cases is a Kangaroo Island resident, the first case on KI.
It is understood the person had travelled from interstate.
Another victim is understood to be a Qantas pilot, while the cluster linked to Adelaide Airport baggage handlers stands at 17 including five “close contacts”.
SA Health says anyone who is sick with symptoms of COVID-19 and has been at the airport, including in the terminal or carpark, in the last 14 days should immediately self-isolated and present for testing.
Henley High and Pennington Primary are closed until next term following cases in those schools.
