Huge testing station queues in Adelaide again after positive Covid case attends Port Adelaide vs Collingwood game
People in regional Victoria are rushing into SA to beat the seven-day lockdown, which starts at midnight – as people across Adelaide queued up for Covid tests.
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Hundreds of motorists from regional Victoria are causing a backlog at South Australian border checkpoints, rushing to beat a seven-day lockdown that starts at midnight.
Police and SA Health this afternoon confirmed there were no restrictions on people from regional Victoria entering, so long as they had not visited restricted areas including Greater Melbourne, the Bendigo LGA and Whittlesea.
Police could not say how long people were going to wait at border checkpoints, but 9 News footage showed long queues.
By midnight, regional Victorians will have to abide by their lockdown laws – which do not permit leaving the state.
Large queues also formed at testing stations around Adelaide against on Thursday as thousands of South Australians rush to get a test.
It comes as the Covid crisis in Melbourne grows, with Victoria recording 11 coronavirus cases overnight amid a stage three lockdown that will kick in at midnight Thursday.
About 7000 tests were carried out across the state on Wednesday, which Premier Steven Marshall on Thursday said was likely to be one of the state’s “top 20 days in total” for testing numbers.
“It’s one of the highest days we’ve had for a very very long period of time,” he said.
At Victoria Park, the line-up started about 5am on Thursday morning after the testing clinic was forced to close two hours early on Wednesday night due to the high demand.
Heavy traffic that disrupted the Britannia Roundabout saw the test clinic temporarily closed to more vehicles on Thursday morning, as the line went back from Wakefield St to Fullarton Rd.
Those already in the queue reported they had waited more than two hours and the lines were moving slowly.
Heavy traffic around the Repat and Hampstead test clinics saw a SAPOL
appeal to avoid the areas if possible.
On Wednesday, Port Adelaide players, staff and fans rushed to get tested and went into self-isolation after it was discovered a person with a positive Covid-19 test was at Port Adelaide’s clash against Collingwood.
Thousands of fans who attended the Power’s thrilling one-point win over the Magpies on Sunday in Melbourne have been assessed as “close contacts”.
On Thursday morning, SA’s chief public health officer Professor Nicola Spurrier said two SA close contacts who had been at the MCG game had been tested. One of the tests had come back negative while she expected the other also to be negative.
She also apologised for the long queues at testing sites but urged people to be patient.
A new testing station has now opened at Tailem Bend to try to ease the pressure, she said.
And Mr Marhsall said testing sites would be expanded further.
“It’s these small sacrifices that have ultimately kept our state safe,” Mr Marshall said.
Both again urged people to get vaccinated against Covid, stay home if ill and seek urgent testing for even mild flu-like symptoms.
Power fans seated in Zone 4, Level 1 of the MCG’s Great Southern Stand – in the vicinity of the infected patient – must get tested and self-isolate until receiving a negative result.
Out of an abundance of caution, Port’s travelling party has gone into self-isolation until they return a negative test because they were at the MCG.
The worsening Victorian outbreak led SA authorities to close the border from 6pm Wednesday to anyone who has been in Greater Melbourne since May 20 – apart from essential travellers or people returning home.
Melbourne’s linked cases all stem from an Adelaide medi-hotel breach.
A report into that breach was released on Wednesday – it found the virus likely escaped after people in quarantine at the Playford Hotel opened their doors to collect meals, contaminating the air in the corridor and causing “aerosol transmission”.
At least one person was then able to leave quarantine while the B1.617 variant was incubating in their body, before it became detectable with a Covid test.
Two new cases of Covid-19 were recorded in Adelaide on Wednesday, both from a medi-hotel. One is a man in his 50s and the other a man in his 20s.
Before formally announcing the border shutdown, Police Commissioner Grant Stevens warned snap changes were likely.
“I have strong recommendations for anyone considering travelling to Victoria, particularly greater Melbourne,” Mr Stevens said.
“Look closely at your travel arrangements and have a level of flexibility that enables you to return if you need to do so and adapt to the arrangements as they may change.”
Power skipper Tom Jonas queuing up for his COVID test. Players and staff who traveled to the MCG on Sunday will need a ‘thumbs up’ from SA Health before being able to leave isolation and return to training @9NewsAdelpic.twitter.com/L0XrZG8bhh
— Josh Money (@joshmoney__) May 26, 2021
The Power also flew back to Adelaide on Sunday evening on a commercial flight that had fans that were in the same section as the individual, contributing to the decision to self-isolate.
Because the Power had two days of rehab and training following the clash this has also included some of the club’s players who didn’t travel.
In a statement Port said its players and staff would undergo Covid tests on Wednesday.
“The club is also encouraging any members and supporters who attended the match to get tested out of an abundance of caution,” the club said.
“Wednesday had already been a scheduled day off for players and football department staff, who will await negative results before returning to training.”
A handful of Port Adelaide’s cheer squad members would also be barred from attending the Sir Doug Nicholls indigenous round against Fremantle at Adelaide Oval on Sunday, its vice president Luke Boreland said.
“I didn’t attend but I’ve got about nine (cheer squad) members that I do know who have been affected,” Boreland said.
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