Expert says SA must adopt fortress mentality as ex-pats returning from NSW are given green light to quarantine at home
SA must adopt a fortress mentality to help keep the deadly, fast-spreading Delta variant out of the state and to protect the public and the economy, a leading epidemiologist has warned.
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A top epidemiologist warns the state needs to become “Fortress SA” to protect the public and the economy from the dangerous Delta Covid-19 variant, which has sent east coast capitals into lockdown.
UniSA Professor Adrian Esterman, pictured, said even with a moat mentality, more lockdowns here are likely this year until vaccination numbers are substantially higher.
He noted Western Australia had adopted a hard lockout position to states that had community cases and it had served WA well.
“I would certainly consider going into Fortress South Australia – we should be extremely careful about anyone coming in,” Prof Esterman said.
“We know this strain is twice as transmissible as the Alpha strain and appears to be much more transmissible through droplets in the air so you can get it by passing someone, which we haven’t seen with other variants.
“There is also some evidence it gives a more severe infection.”
South Australians wanting to return home from places with community infections would need strict pathways, he said.
“It would depend on their vaccination status – if they were fully vaccinated it would not be a major issue to have them self-isolate at home,” Prof Esterman said.
“Otherwise they would have to do strict quarantine in medi-hotels – if we want to keep this out of South Australia we have to be more careful than usual.”
Prof Esterman noted infections are now being seen in more people aged under 40 than in previous outbreaks.
He attributed part of this to many more older people now being vaccinated, and said many younger people who get it are not vaccinated but are not getting it so badly they need hospital care.
“This really is a call to arms for everyone aged 60-plus to get vaccinated as soon as possible,” he said, as infected younger people who may have no symptoms may pass it on to more vulnerable older people.
Stressing he is apolitical and is ready to hand out praise as well as criticism to politicians when it is deserved, he said South Australia’s leaders so far had made the right decisions, including the recent snap seven-day lockdown to keep the disease at bay.
“Victoria came out of its recent lockdown three or four days too early and are now back in strict lockdown – they went in quick and hard and saw numbers come down but relaxed too soon,” he said.
“We will probably see more lockdowns here until the end of the year, when we have a substantial portion of the population vaccinated.”
Prof Esterman is an epidemiologist and biostatistician at the University of South Australia, and was SA’s Department of Health principal epidemiologist.
VACCINATED SOUTH AUSSIES GET A FAST TRACK HOME
Vaccinated South Australians stranded in NSW will be allowed to quarantine at home rather than in medi-hotels to slash a backlog of contentious Covid-19 travel exemptions.
In what is believed to be an Australian first, SA Health will now consider the coronavirus vaccination status of NSW travellers during compassionate or medical permit risk checks.
The overhaul emerged as Australia’s Covid vaccine rollout chief said incentives were “something we will consider” later this year as a tool to convince more hesitant people to receive jabs.
Under the SA Health exemption changes, introduced after a public backlash at the mounting backlog of cases, NSW travellers would be given a chance to serve their mandatory 14 days quarantine in their home.
Chief public health officer, Professor Nicola Spurrier said the overhaul, to be rolled out from next week, will allow up to 200 “lower-risk” NSW traveller to enter the “strict” home quarantine program.
SA Health’s Covid operations team will risk-assess each NSW traveller, and their families, before deciding if they can quarantine at home or will be sent to a dedicated medi-hotel.
For the first time, officials will consider if a traveller has been vaccinated. Other criteria will include distance from health services, hospitals and Covid testing clinics, as well as accommodation suitability based on interviews and floor plans.
Police will check compliance, while people at home will receive daily health calls where nurses will provide advice, including on mental health, or help with referrals to other services.
In response to inquiries, Prof Spurrier last night said the program, based on medi-hotel protocols, would allow travellers to “return home as quickly as possible”.
“Given the demand, these measures won’t be an immediate fix for everyone,” she said.
But the 300-room Pullman medi-hotel, Adelaide’s biggest, will also become a dedicated exemptions facility for all interstate applications.
High-risk travellers, such as those from western Sydney, will stay at the CBD’s Pullman facility, in Hindmarsh Square.
Most other domestic travellers will still be able to quarantine at home, depending on border restrictions.
Individuals who leave quarantine for compassionate hospital visits will be supervised by a nurse to maintain safety protocols, including use of personal protective equipment.
A new online portal, to go live early next week, will allow applicants to track simplified permits.
More than 3700 people applied for an exemption in mid-July, including 1650 from NSW.
That has risen to more than 1900 people as the NSW crisis deepened after another outbreak high of 291 new cases was announced on Friday.
SA Health allowed 35 domestic travellers entry to the state last week.
Legal directions ban all but essential NSW travel.
Health Minister Stephen Wade said the dedicated medi-hotel was a “safe and consistent approach” for travellers.
Australia’s vaccine rollout chief Lt Gen John Frewen, said “we should look at ways to encourage people to get the jab”.
“Already other countries are putting in place vaccine passports and I think they could be part of the way going forward,” he said.
Premier Steven Marshall, who will on Saturday praise 300 million QR code check-ins, said authorities had placed a vaccination booking check box on the check-in app.
He said the feature, which sends an SMS with a link to the commonwealth’s vaccination site, “was included to raise awareness around the importance of getting vaccinated”.
SA Health on Friday reported no new daily cases. The Modbury cluster is 22 cases.
There are 26 people still in quarantine. A cluster case, a man in his 70s, is stable in the RAH’s Intensive Care Unit.
Former ‘super spreader’ venues reopen
By Dixie Sulda
Two venues at the centre of the recent Modbury cluster have reopened their doors after a two week shutdown.
The Tenafeate Creek Winery and Greek on Halifax opened for bookings on Friday following a closure prompted by the Modbury outbreak, that sent the state into a seven-day lockdown.
Both venues closed for two weeks after it was revealed that at least 14 positive cases dined at the winery or restaurant.
Larry Costa, from Tenafeate Creek Winery, said he thanked all South Australians for their support during the closure.
“We were overwhelmed by South Australia’s support and we’d like to thank every individual that supported us by buying wine (online),” Mr Costa said.
He said there was not an unmanageable influx of wine sales, but any sale was appreciated, particularly from Premier Steven Marshall, who ordered a dozen pinot noir’s on July 22.
“I think it was absolutely fantastic … I thought it was a great honour, for him to support South Australian businesses,” he said.
Mr Costa said the business would get through the recent closure.
“We’ll get over that, I just hope everybody is healthy, that’s my main concern at the moment.”
The Greek on Halifax also opened for bookings from Friday afternoon.
“At this stage, we’re only taking online bookings so please book, … to avoid disappointment,” they posted on social media.
“That’s again to everyone who has supported us over the past two weeks, and we can’t wait to see you.”
There is still room for bookings at both venues, with bookings essential due to a 50 per cent capacity limit under new restrictions.
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