Coronavirus updates: Labor demands purpose-built quarantine in wake of bizarre city breach

A man’s bizarre quarantine breach is the state’s worst and should be the last straw for the controversial medi-hotel system, the Opposition says.

The opposition has stepped up demands for a dedicated quarantine facility out of the city after the worst breach of medi-hotel security recorded resulted in a man wandering around Hindley St for a night of beers and burgers.

Opposition leader Susan Close. Picture: David Mariuz

The overseas arrival, supposedly in strict quarantine, strolled out of the Hotel Grand Chancellor on Thursday to spend a night drinking, chatting with strangers and filling up on McDonald’s before heading back to sleep it off.

Deputy Opposition leader Susan Close has demanded answers on how the blatant breach occurred and repeated Labor’s call for a purpose-built quarantine facility out of the city.

“Steven Marshall needs to explain how it is that a man was able to freely walk out of hotel quarantine in Adelaide and spend eight hours in the community,” Ms Close said.

“This is yet another failure of hotel quarantine under Steven Marshall. Thank goodness at this stage there has been no spread of Covid-19.”

She said Steven Marshall is the “only mainland state premier refusing to consider purpose-built quarantine”.

The man, wearing jeans and a T-shirt, casually strolled out of the reportedly secure facility around 10pm on Thursday for a night out.

The Hotel Grand Chancellor on Hindley street. Picture: Keryn Stevens

This included heading to the Duke of York Hotel in Currie St where he drank pints of beer for hours and befriended people in the beer garden.

CCTV footage also captured his Macca’s run before he headed back to the Grand Chancellor at 6am on Friday.

How he was allowed to wander out remains a mystery, with police simply saying an investigation is ongoing and the outcome “will be provided once it is completed”.

Officials say there is no risk to the public as he had tested negative on day one, five and nine, then tested negative on Friday.

But with the Delta strain triggering a statewide lockdown in NSW as daily cases hit a record 466, and the SA bubble with Broken Hill now closed following traces of the virus in wastewater, any such breach risks a potential calamity for SA.

BROKEN HILL UPDATE
No cases confirmed. Anyone with symptoms should get tested immediately and self-isolate until a negative result is returned. Memorial Oval to open as testing site from 1:30pm with increased staff. Testing 8am to 5pm, 7 days a week. @SpencerGulfNNpic.twitter.com/s9JkAMYo7p

— Lachlan Itter (@LachlanItter) August 14, 2021

On Saturday, North Broken Hill Football Club forfeited A and B grade after multiple players showed flu-like symptoms and were told to isolate and get tested.

As of 12.16pm people in the NSW border region were no longer allowed to enter SA, with the exception of essential travellers and people fleeing domestic violence.

Essential travellers have to take Covid-19 tests on days one, five and 13 and self-quarantine for 14 days. Supervised home quarantine is being introduced for travellers granted a special exemption – as well as testing and mask requirements, they must display a sign warning visitors it is a place of quarantine.

SA did not record any new cases Saturday. Vaccinations hit 1,037,534 and the 14,317 jabs given on Friday followed a hat trick of record days, peaking at 16,182 shots on Thursday.

SA revokes Broken Hill cross-border bubble

South Australia’s cross-border bubble with Broken Hill has been revoked with immediate effect.

As of 12.16pm Saturday, people in the border region were no longer allowed to enter South Australia, with the exception of essential travellers and people fleeing domestic violence.

Essential travellers will be have to take Covid-19 tests on days one, five and 13 after arriving in SA and self-quarantine for 14 days.

They must wear a mask when leaving home to get tested.

In another change, supervised home quarantine is being introduced for travellers who have been granted a special exemption to enter SA.

As well as testing and mask requirements, they must display a sign at the entrance of their place they are staying to warn visitors it is a place of quarantine.

The new rules come as NSW moves to lockdown the entire state amid a worsening of its Covid outbreak.

NSW announced 466 new cases of the virus on Saturday, 68 of them a result of community transmission and four deaths.