Flinders Medical Centre becomes second vaccine base ahead of rollout; Victorian border rules due to change
A second hospital will open as a COVID-19 protection hub as the vaccines arrive from next week. Victorian border rules are also due to change on Wednesday.
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A second Adelaide hospital has been fast-tracked to open as a COVID-19 vaccine hub as authorities prepare to relax bans on the state’s Victorian border on Wednesday.
Flinders Medical Centre will join the Royal Adelaide Hospital as distribution centres for thousands of coronavirus jabs from next week.
The announcement comes as Police Commissioner Grant Stevens flagged an easing of Victorian border restrictions.
Full borders will likely lift next week, Mr Stevens said on Tuesday, just hours after quarantine rules changed for Melbourne airport passengers.
Speaking after a COVID-19 Transition Committee meeting, Mr Stevens said regional Victoria visitors would be allowed to travel into South Australia from today – but only if the statewide lockdown is lifted. Restrictions to greater Melbourne travellers will ease on February 25, but only if the Victorian capital records 14 days of no community transmission.
If that happens, visitors must test on their first day into the state as well as the fifth and 12th.
More than 60,000 frontline workers will begin to receive the Pfizer vaccination from next week.
Health Minister Stephen Wade said a greater crop of vaccines was available after the Federal Government increased first dose orders.
“Given the scale and complexity of the operation in front of us, it is great news that we will have two hubs … ready to start providing the vaccines as soon as they arrive,” he said.
He also announced a new raft of laws and penalties to protect “highly sensitive” contact-tracing data.
The committee, comprising senior officials including Mr Stevens and chief public health officer Nicola Spurrier, want harsh penalties for anyone who wrongly accesses or fails to protect QR code data.
Mr Stevens, in his role as COVID co-ordinator, was due to sign the new legal directions on Tuesday night.
An individual will be liable for a $1000 fine while a company faces a $5000 expiation.
More serious aggravated cases will be prosecuted with penalties of up to $25,000 for an individual or a maximum $75,000 fines for businesses.
Police will check for handwritten records.
“What we are doing is responding to a potential risk,” Mr Stevens said. “We don’t have any specific circumstances that have been brought to our attention.”
Changes emerged after the Sunday Mail revealed Greens MLC Mark Parnell’s proposals to jail QR code abusers. No other public activity bans, such as dancing and drinking alcohol, were debated.
Transition Committee criticised for secrecy
The state’s powerful group of COVID-19 officials has been criticised for having to be repeatedly asked for their secret minutes to be sent to MPs, a parliamentary committee has concluded.
In an interim report, due to be tabled in State Parliament today, Upper House MPs expressed their “disappointment” at the Transition Committee’s operations.
The government panel, comprising various senior officials, was accused of failing to heed multiple requests for its minutes, which are not publicly disclosed.
The parliamentary committee, which is dominated by opposition and crossbench MPs, wants the official documents regularly published.
The Legislative Council members said it was essential that the committee was accountable.
“Given the significant power of the Transition Committee to influence the way in which the state responds to the COVID-19 pandemic, its accountability and transparency to the community is of paramount importance,” MPs concluded.
“(It) expresses its disappointment that it took repeated requests for minutes of the Transition Committee’s meetings to be provided as part of its inquiry.”
The Transition Committee includes Police Commissioner Grant Stevens, pictured, chief public health officer Nicola Spurrier and the head of Department of Premier and Cabinet, now Nick Reade, the former Bank SA boss.
Meeting at least once a week, it provides critical advice to Mr Stevens as SA’s COVID-19 co-ordinator, who authorises any legal changes.
A government spokeswoman declined to comment.
Last year, Mr Stevens dismissed transparency concerns.
“There’s no secrets in the minutes,” he said.
“I think it’s a storm in a teacup. I’m not aware of any other government committee that as a practice publishes … minutes. We are not hiding anything.”
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