Coronavirus SA updates: Elective surgery return flagged | More flights for stranded interstate travellers
The State Government will push for a return of elective surgery, if it’s safe to do so, following the state’s “extraordinarily good” response to COVID-19. Only one new case was recorded in SA on Thursday.
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South Australia will seek to progressively remove some of the existing restrictions regarding elective surgery if safe to do so, following the state’s “extraordinarily good” response to COVID-19 to date, according to Premier Steven Marshall.
Speaking on Thursday, Mr Marshall – who earlier in the day spent three-and-a-half hours in a National Cabinet meeting discussing a three-month strategy to fully suppress the virus, economic recovery, elective surgery, flights, and a return to school – said the growth of coronavirus had been constrained “significantly better than we probably had envisaged four or five weeks ago”.
SA had just one new recorded case on Thursday, taking total infections across the state to 434, while 10 people remain in hospital with the disease – two in ICU, with one critical.
Additionally, 308 patients (representing 70 per cent of total cases) have so far recovered, while the number of community transmissions was unchanged at four.
“We have extraordinarily low and dimishing community transmission right across Australia, and in fact in South Australia we don’t have a confirmed community transmission since, I think, March 20, so this should be filling many people with confidence about the regime that we’ve put in place here in South Australia,” Mr Marshall said.
SA has implemented a two-week testing blitz, where anyone with symptoms can be tested for COVID-19, but Mr Marshall added the existing restrictions will likely remain in place for “coming weeks”.
“What we need to do as a sector is make sure we get the necessary testing in place, tracing in place, the PPE (personal protective equipment) in place before we make any significant move in regards to any restrictions,” he said.
“The sole exception to that is elective surgery, and we are very keen to receive further advice from the AHPPC (Australian Health Protection Principal Committee) next Tuesday with regards to the restrictions of elective surgery right around the country, and if we can be certain that the PPE is in place we will look to make a progressive removal of some of those restrictions.”
Mr Marshall also reaffirmed his position that schools will remain open in Term 2 and
stressed medical advice that it is safe to return to school.
“It remains safe for children to go to school (next term), schools will be open and no student will be turned away,” he said.
South Australians stranded interstate will be buoyed by news Qantas and Virgin, as of tomorrow, will reinstate key domestic routes to return travellers to their state of origin following a deal struck by the National Cabinet.
Scroll down for more on the latest key local developments.
PARTY GOERS FINED
Three adults have been fined and a further four cautioned for breaching coronavirus gathering restrictions at a Coober Pedy birthday party.
Police said the party, where at least seven adults and 10 children were in attendance, was in “full swing” when they arrived on Tuesday night.
Three adults were each fined $1060 while the other four adults were each given cautions for breaching gathering restrictions.
Police have issued 45 fines and 35 cautions as of 8am on Thursday but said: “Of the thousands of checks police have done on individuals and businesses across the state, this shows that the overwhelming majority of South Australians are doing the right thing”.
Six men and five women were slapped with fines for ignoring repeated warnings to disperse from a party of 13 people at Port Augusta on April 8.
Police had already visited the house three times to provide advice about social distancing and prohibiting gatherings before issuing fines on the fourth occasion.
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BORDER RESTRICTIONS EASED
People travelling to South Australia will be able to visit critically or terminally ill relatives, or attend the funeral of an immediate family member, without first having to self-quarantine for 14 days.
The eased restriction – which still requires visitors to self-quarantine at all other times – is part of updated directions for essential travellers and prohibited gatherings that come into effect at 11.59pm on Thursday.
SA Police has widened the criteria for essential travellers, who are able to enter the state without self-quarantining for the a full 14-day period, to also include:
ACTIVE military and Defence Department personnel (including civilian staff and private contractors) and personnel required to support time-critical national security and defence activities.
HEALTH services, specifically people who are requested by the Health and Wellbeing Department chief executive or by the federal Health Department secretary.
FLY-IN FLY-OUT workers, provided that their employer is applying risk mitigation strategies during periods of work.
Anyone who claims to be an essential traveller will be required to provide evidence that they fall within that category.
Prohibited gatherings – 10 people or more or fewer than 10 people who do not comply with the one person per 4sqm rule – no longer applies to:
DISABILITY, aged care or residential care facilities (including a supported residential facility or a child protection facility) necessary for the normal business of the facility.
OFFICE buildings, factories, laboratories or testing facilities, repair or maintenance premises (such as vehicle mechanic workshops), mining or construction sites or waste disposal or processing facilities necessary for the normal operation of those premises.
LAND or vessels used in the production or treatment of primary produce (within the meaning of the Primary Produce (Food Safety Schemes) Act 2004) necessary for normal operations on the land or vessel.
SCHOOLS WILL STAY OPEN: PREMIER
Premier Steven Marshall has moved to clarify that schools will remain open for Term 2, despite difficulties with teachers who suffer from health conditions.
Mr Marshall said the state is taking the same position as “day one” and that schools will stay open.
“No student will be turned away and we believe that they are in a safer environment at school,” he told ABC Radio Adelaide.
“We do appreciate that some teachers do have health conditions or caring arrangements, which make it difficult and we’ll need to work through those.”
Mr Marshall said he will receive more expert advice during this morning’s National Cabinet this morning, but he looked back on Term 1 statistics.
“There was not a single example of student-to-student transmission, there was not a single example of student-to-teacher transmission and there was a single case of teacher-to-student transmission,” he said.
Ten SA students have contracted coronavirus, but none of those transmissions occurred at school, Mr Marshall said.
STATE’S JOBLESSNESS SPIKES
South Australia has seen the highest rise in the unemployment rate in the nation from 5.8 per cent to 6.2 per cent before the full impact of the coronavirus is to be recorded.
SA’s unemployment rate again leads the nation, as we brace for further impacts from a coronavirus-sparked economic slowdown.
Nationally, the 5.2 per cent unemployment rate was better than what Federal Treasury official expected with concerns it could raise to 5.5 per cent for the March quarter.
With the global and national economies predicted for very tough times in light of the coronavirus pandemic, SA recorded a 6.2 per cent seasonally adjusted unemployment rate in February.
ABS Chief Economist Bruce Hockman said today’s data shows some small early impact from coronavirus on the Australian labour market in early March, but any impact from the major COVID-19 related actions will be evident in the April data.
Read the full story.
VIRUS TESTING BLITZ
Anyone feeling unwell with flu-like symptoms can now be tested for coronavirus over the next fortnight under an official COVID-19 testing “blitz” after South Australia recorded zero new cases.
The State Government announced on Wednesday a significant widening of SA’s world-leading testing regime.
Under new relaxed rules from Thursday, any person showing symptoms such as a cough, sore throat or shortness of breath can be tested.
Meanwhile, SA Police has withdrawn the shutdown direction issued to Adelaide Hills brewery Prancing Pony as part of eased coronavirus restrictions on similar non-essential businesses.
Police Commissioner Grant Stevens announced the decision on Wednesday after extensive consultation with SA chief public health officer Dr Nicola Spurrier.
The new direction, which came into effect from 11am on Wednesday, allows wineries, cellar doors, breweries and distilleries to sell alcohol, food or other products on a takeaway basis. It aligns those businesses with hotels, restaurants and cafes.
SA Health officials hope a significant expansion of virus testing will help identify any unknown cases as authorities now look at how to ease restrictions.
Read the full story.
ANZAC DAY SHOPPING PERMITTED
Supermarket giants Coles and Woolworths will be able to trade in Adelaide suburbs on Anzac Day for the first time in South Australian history this year.
The morning of Anzac Day will continue to be off limits but trading will be allowed for supermarkets, big or small, from 12 noon until 9pm.
Treasurer Rob Lucas will today use ministerial powers to allow the trading, that is usually confined to the CBD, in the name of social distancing to cope with the coronavirus.
He will also extend a 30-day exemption period that gave all supermarkets the option to trade 24 hours a day on Monday to Friday, 12am to 9pm on Saturday, and 9am to 9pm on Sunday.
Read the full story.
POLICE RELAX TRADING RESTRICTIONS
Wineries, cellar doors, breweries and distilleries will now be permitted to sell alcohol, food or other products on a takeaway basis.
SA lawyer Karen Stanley told The Advertiser on Tuesday that the now-withdrawn direction to Prancing Pony, forcing its pick-up and takeaway services to be shut down, was “unlawful”.
Police Commissioner Grant Stevens said SA Police had received correspondence from breweries, but was not concerned about any legal action.
He said the directions issued to the breweries were both lawful and appropriate.
“We see this as a slight relaxation of the imposition so that these businesses can continue to trade as they would like to and as much as possible in the current circumstances,” he said.
Read the full story.
THOUSANDS SHORT-CHANGED ON PARKING
Hospital staff working on the frontline of the COVID-19 battle have been guaranteed free parking at work.
But potentially thousands of other hospital workers will still be left out of pocket for parking, despite being told it would be free.
The key promise, aimed at supporting thousands of frontline hospital workers, was announced by Premier Steven Marshall and Health Minister Stephen Wade over the weekend.
Mr Wade’s office confirmed yesterday there is a $110 monthly cap for some hospital staff, after the discrepancy was pointed out by Opposition health spokesman Chris Picton.
A government spokesman told The Advertiser all staff deemed essential to the COVID-19 response, across all disciplines, would be provided free carparking.
Read the full story.