SA records three new Covid cases, more exposure sites, strict new rules for cross-border travel

SA has recorded three new Covid cases and announced new exposure sites amid sweeping changes to cross-border quarantine and testing rules.

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SA ANNOUNCES THREE NEW CASES

SA Health has announced three new cases of Covid-19 – taking to nine the total number of cases since South Australia reopened its borders on November 23.

The cases are a man aged in his 40s and two women – one aged in her 20s and the other in her 50s – who all acquired their infections interstate.

A fourth confirmed case is a child who has been reported and counted in another jurisdiction, however is now in SA and is included in the state’s active case numbers.

There are eight active cases in SA. Some of the cases detected in SA since November 23 have now returned home are not counted in the active case total. The state’s total cases is 931.

BORDER RULE CHANGES

Authorities have announced major new border changes that will require travellers to show proof of a negative test within 72 hours before arriving in SA.

In addition, international travellers arriving in SA will be forced to quarantine for 14 days due to the emergence of the dangerous Omicron variant.

And the WA government has announced stricter quarantine rules for travellers from SA.

Chief public health officer, Professor Nicola Spurrier, said the new testing rules in SA did not involve more checks but were expected to “significantly reduce the inconvenience for other travellers who will need to quarantine”.

“We want everyone to be able to come to South Australia – whether that be residents returning home or travellers visiting their families for Christmas – while doing our best to reduce the impact on our state as our vaccination rates increase,” she said.

“We can’t stop Covid-19 entering our state but we want to do it in the most controlled way to ensure we are protecting our community, our economy, and our health system.”

Legal directions, signed by Police Commissioner Grant Stevens at 4.56pm on Friday, also ban any close contact of a Covid-19 case in the past 7 days before travel to SA.

A close contact in the previous fortnight must take a day 13 Covid test in addition to any other checks required on their entry approval.

A series of new rules were also imposed on cross-border communities if they leave their area for at least three days.

NEW EXPOSURE SITES

The new rules, which take effect at 12.01am Monday, come as authorities announce more exposure sites in Adelaide and the state’s South East.

Just after 11pm Friday, SA Health added Qantas Flight QF683 to its growing list of “casual contact” exposure locations.

Passengers on the flight, which flew from Melbourne to Adelaide on Friday morning, are required to get tested immediately and quarantine until they receive a negative result.

The bathroom at Adelaide Airport (second floor, adjacent to Ripcurl) has also been added as an exposure location between 11.30-11.40am that morning.

The Willalooka Tavern, on the Riddoch Highway between Keith and Padthaway, has been listed as a close contact exposure site for anyone who attended on Saturday November 20 – three days before the state’s borders opened.

The warning – which will force patrons to quarantine for seven or 14 days dependent on their vaccination status – applies to anyone who attended between 6.30-11.30pm that night. Their quarantine period starts from the time of their exposure.

The tavern posted on its Facebook page that the case had attended the “Willalooka on the Green” event, then returned a positive test result.

“We have had a few people with negative tests that came in close contact with the positive person, so let’s hope it’s quick and (we) go back to normal soon,” the post said.

Two new “lost-risk casual contact” exposure locations have also been added — all of Adelaide Airport between 11.20am-12pm on Friday, and Bordertown Foodland between 11.45am-12.15pm last Sunday November 21.

Anyone at those locations is asked to monitor for symptoms and present for testing as soon as they develop. *An earlier version of this story said the new directions would come into effect from midnight tonight (12.01am Sunday). This was based on incorrect information from SA Police.

VACCINATION TARGET

SA Health reported the state had achieved the fully-vaccinated goal, three days after borders reopened to the eastern states.

There have been 2,549,853 vaccinations administered. SA has a first dose percentage rate of 88.8 per cent and a full vaccination rate of 80 per cent in people aged 16 and over.

Premier Steven Marshall praised South Australians for reaching the major milestone and said “working together, we are charting a path out of the pandemic”.

SA Health on Friday reported two new Covid cases – a man and a woman, both in their 20s, who arrived from interstate and a raft of new exposure sites were announced.

Close contacts were also listed for rows 4 to 8 on Virgin Flight VA219 from Melbourne to Adelaide between 10.20am and 11.15am Thursday. Those is rows 1 to 3 and in rows 9 and above are casual contacts.

More than a dozen new exposure sites were revealed across Adelaide, including the Casino hotel Eos and airport, Welland, as well as at Kingston SE, Naracoorte and Mt Gambier.

Close contact sites were revealed in the city, Plympton and Walkerville while low risk locations are at the airport, Kingston SE, Naracoorte and Mt Gambier.

One is in quarantine in SA while the other has returned to their home state.

NEW VARIANT

Prime Minister Scott Morrison had earlier praised South Australians for their efforts in getting vaccinated and assured them that a new heavily mutated Covid-19 strain detected in South Africa was not yet a variant of concern to Australia.

Mr Morrison said the “best protection” against “any new variant” was vaccination, and urged unvaccinated South Australians to help the state hit the 80 per cent double-dose milestone.

“Today here in South Australia, we’ve got half a per cent to go, so if you haven’t had your second dose of the vaccination, let’s go out and get that jab,” Mr Morrison said while visiting the Tonsley Innovation District in Adelaide on Friday.

“Let’s make this an 80 per cent double-vaccinated state.”

Mr Morrison also announced national cabinet would meet in Adelaide in a fortnight and said it was “an important opportunity to continue our work to secure Australia’s economic recovery”.

“I’m looking forward to returning to SA for the second time in as many weeks … as we come together again as a nation to safely reopen,” he said

He is also sending a letter to every Australian home pleading with people to book their third jab, as Covid wreaks havoc across Europe.

Federal authorities are reviewing the new B. 1.1.529 variant, which was first detected in Botswana, before spreading to South Africa and then Hong Kong.

Scientists said the new variant has at least 10 mutations, compared to two for Delta and three for Beta.

SA authorities are also monitoring the new strain.

A spokesman for Police Commissioner Grant Stevens, who authorises all legal directions as state Covid co-ordinator, said officials “will respond if there is need to do so if this particular strain should impact directly upon the South Australian community”.

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