Labor leader Peter Malinauskas and deputy leader Susan Close self-isolating after visiting Thebarton Senior College
Opposition leader Peter Malinauskas and deputy leader Susan Close have cancelled their plans and gone into self-isolation after visiting Thebarton Senior School.
Coronavirus
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Opposition Leader Peter Malinauskas and Deputy Leader Susan Close are self-isolating after SA Health advised anyone who attended Thebarton Senior College late last month to quarantine.
It came after a fifth person linked to the senior school has tested positive to coronavirus.
The college has closed and about 1100 staff and students who attended the school between July 29-30 have been told to self-isolate.
Mr Malinauskas and Ms Close said they visited the school between 9.30am and 10.30am on Thursday, July 30 to “gain a greater understanding of the college’s work ahead of developing education policy in the lead up to the 2022 election”.
“We followed all COVID-19 protocols as required by the school including registering our visit, not shaking hands and practising social distancing out meeting,” they paid wrote in a joint statement.
They said “as soon as it was made public” that a student had tested positive at the school, he and Ms Close alerted SA Health of their visit.
They said they were told “no specific action was required” because they had only interacted with the principal and had not toured the school.
“However, given the advice from SA Health overnight that anyone who attended the college on 29, 30 and 31 July must self-isolate, we have immediately taken steps to comply with those directions,” their statement read.
“Thankfully, we all feel well and are currently not showing any symptoms, but given SA Health’s advice we have cancelled all face-to-face engagements next week and will self-isolate as per SA Health’s direction.
“Although this is an inconvenience, it is nothing in comparison to the heartache felt by so many South Australians who currently find themselves out of work.”
The pair said it was “vitally important we all do the right thing to ensure the type of outbreak being seen in Victoria doesn’t happen here in South Australia”.
“We wish a speedy recovery to those who have tested positive to COVID-19,” they said.
They will be self-isolating until next Friday, two weeks from when the cluster was discovered.
Earlier today, Mr Malinauskas was in good spirits.
“It’s an inconvenience having to self – isolate at home with three kids and do your work all at the same time but it’s a really small price to pay in the scheme of things,” he said.
The Labor leader said his children had varying levels of understanding in relation to why their dad was housebound.
“My daughter has been learning about keeping your hands washed and germs at school and so I just explained to her this is part of keeping South Australia COVID-free and she understood it,” he said.
“My son is two-and-a-half so he’s just running around like a chook with his head chopped off, oblivious to what’s going on around him.
“And baby Eliza, hopefully she just sleeps as best as she can for the next week.”
Mr Malinauskas said he was planning to make the most of the situation and adapt his work schedule to fit his new, temporary circumstances.
Ms Close said she has become used to conducting meetings online in the past few months.
“I’ll just have to switch some of the meetings that I had over to Zoom and I’m an apology for others,” she said.
“My concern is more around people who I have seen in last week who may feel anxious having seen in the paper that I’m isolating. I can understand they may have some concerns.”