SA residents advised to get tested for COVID-19 within 24 hours of returning from Victoria
All South Australians returning from Victoria are being told to be tested for COVID-19 within 24 hours of crossing the border. And Premier Steven Marshall says anyone who has been in Victoria in recent weeks should get tested too. Take our poll.
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South Australian authorities have begun a testing blitz and called in the army to counter Victoria’s COVID-19 outbreak.
After the “hard” border took effect from midnight, all South Australian residents returning from Victoria are being urged to undergo a coronavirus test within 24 hours of arrival.
Premier Steven Marshall also said anyone who had been to Victoria in recent weeks should present themselves to one of 50 testing stations in the state for an immediate check.
He would not rule out making testing compulsory if people did not comply.
“This is a blunt reminder to every South Australian that we cannot be complacent about this disease,’’ Mr Marshall said.
“We do have powers under the public health act if there has been an abuse of the situation.’’
People deemed “essential” travellers crossing the now closed border with SA will be given three free face masks, and a completed GP referral form, and be told to voluntarily attend for testing on their first and 12th day in SA.
Mobile vans will also be commissioned by SA Health to make it easier for people to attend for testing, and a phone check within 24 hours will confirm that a voluntary test has been carried out.
Police Commissioner Grant Stevens said army personnel would be deployed to checkpoints with Victoria as soon as they could be mobilised and would also help at police central command.
He was confident there had been no successful attempts to avoid the closed border, and police were now working their way through a backlog of 31,000 applications to enter the state from all other states and territories, with 17,000 remaining uncompleted.
Due to the backlog, concerns were raised on Wednesday about people being allowed into SA from Victoria before they have been fully assessed.
Police first issued a statement saying travellers would be issued with an “interim status” at the border, which might later be changed when their registrations were processed.
But a revised statement removed any reference to interim status. It said: “On arrival in South Australia, travellers will be processed by SA Police to verify identification and their purpose of travel.
“Applicants’ cross-border travel registrations will be assessed independently to their entry at the border, airport, or port, and applicants will be contacted via email or phone to confirm their traveller status.”
South Australia’s chief public health officer Nicola Spurrier wants test numbers to rise from 2000 to 3000 a day.
“Two thousand (a day), yeah it is not too bad, but given winter, many people will have respiratory symptoms at the moment and generally they wouldn’t do anything about it,’’ she said.
“Now, because of the threat from Victoria, the only way I can pick if the disease is here is if everybody with respiratory symptoms gets tested.’’
There were no new cases identified in SA on Thursday, while SA’s three active cases were cleared.
The “hard border” is also causing confusing for locals and industry leaders struggling to understand what daily life would look like under the changes.
Opposition health spokesman Chris Picton said it was “very concerning” the delays meant “some Victorians may be granted an interim approval to enter SA”. “We are at a critical point in this pandemic with an outbreak in Victoria. We cannot have any measures which could risk an outbreak in SA,” he said.
The Opposition queried how authorities would ensure those people were checked later if their status changed after their applications were properly processed.
A police spokesman said that an interim status system was “still being developed”, and denied there was a significant issue with processing.
SA residents returning from Victoria must quarantine for a fortnight.
Non-residents will only be allowed in if their travel is “essential”, including for medical treatment.
They must wear personal protective equipment and quarantine whenever they are not carrying out essential duties or business.
Victorians from border communities cannot travel more than 50km into SA.
More than 260 police officers will be monitoring SA checkpoints and Adelaide Airport after the border with Victoria closed at midnight.
There are about 65 border crossing points between the two states.
On Wednesday, Police Commissioner Grant Stevens said crossing points on small dirt roads would be blocked with signage, while officers would man crossings with more traffic.
Mr Stevens said a team of 45 officers was being expanded to work through the thousands of essential traveller applications.
He said the team was working “16 hours a day, seven days a week” to clear the backlog.
Meanwhile, State Opposition Leader Peter Malianuskas has called on Premier Steven Marshall for bipartisan support opposing Federal Government support of High Court challenges against border closures.
No such case has emerged in South Australia, but a Clive Palmer-instigated challenge to border closures in Queensland has been given support by the Federal Government.
“Steven Marshall must stand up to his Liberal colleagues in Canberra and demand they withdraw their support for High Court challenges,” Mr Malinauskas said.
Meantime, Australians stuck overseas wanting to come home could face delays with Scott Morrison considering a daily cap on returning travellers.
The limit will take the pressure off states which have been forced to take more flights and returning travellers while Victoria halts all international flights to get a lid on its outbreak.
The Prime Minister will put the proposal to state premiers on Friday.