SA Covid lockdown day 5: Two new cases, lockdown end in sight

South Australia is on course to emerge from its seven-day lockdown on Tuesday night.

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South Australia is on course to emerge from its seven-day lockdown on Tuesday night, if no unexplained community cases of Covid-19 are detected in the coming day.

Premier Steven Marshall declared Monday “is D-Day”, after two new Covid-19 cases were linked to the Modbury cluster on Sunday.

“We don’t want to see any further numbers, especially numbers that are outside in the community.”

Didi Harris (Trinket) and Isabelle Hermes (Ankle grinder) were due to battle it out at the Roller Derby Grand Final at Wayville Showgrounds before Covid interrupted. Picture: Tom Huntley

The state’s transition committee met at 3pm on Sunday and held talks into the evening, mapping out the potential path out of lockdown.

The committee will meet again Monday, with the expectation of ending the lockdown at midnight on Tuesday if no unlinked cases of community transmission are detected.

But tough restrictions are likely to remain in place as the Delta variant runs rampant in NSW, putting the entire nation on high alert.

Adelaide Roller Derby skaters Didi Harris and Isabelle Hermes are eager for the restrictions to ease so that they can play in a grand final between the Mile Die Club and the Road Train Rollers on Saturday.

Before the committee meeting, Mr Marshall would not speculate on what restrictions would remain but he immediately ruled out significantly increasing density levels at venues.

“The last thing we need in South Australia is to have a situation where we have to go back into lockdown,” Mr Marshall said.

“I can’t see us going back to three (people) per four square metres in the short-term here in South Australia.

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“I think that is now some way off with the situation over in NSW.”

Mr Marshall, however, remained committed to getting workers back on construction sites and opening up schools, hotels, cafes, restaurants and retail shops safely.

“What you will see is a graduation of lifting those restrictions, and we’ll do that as quickly, but as safely, as we possibly can,” he said.

“South Australians have endured some pretty tough conditions since the lockdown order was put in place … they don’t want to have all this sacrificed for nothing.”

Mr Marshall thanked the more than 4000 South Australians in quarantine.

“Because of their diligence and their compliance, we are still on track to lift the lockdown order on Tuesday night.”

One of the new cases on Sunday was a man in his 70s who attended Tenafeate Creek Wines, at Yattalunga, bringing the number of cases linked to the winery to 10.

The second new case was linked to The Greek on Halifax restaurant in the CBD – a woman in her 40s who is the mother of the child aged under five who tested positive last Wednesday.

A third case was detected in an overseas traveller in a medi-hotel.

Chief public health officer Professor Nicola Spurrier revealed a further 40 people currently in home quarantine would be forced into medi-hotels amid concerns over a “barrel room” at the Yattalunga winery.

“Looking at the CCTV footage and having this new positive case, it’s become apparent to our team that the barrel room, which is one part of the Tenafeate winery, was a highly infectious place to be,” Professor Spurrier said.

Chief public health officer Nicola Spurrier. Picture: Keryn Stevens

“It wasn’t well ventilated, it was small and it was quite crowded.”

All close contacts from the Tenafeate Creek Wines superspreader event have returned their day-five tests. Ninety-two per cent of close contacts from The Greek on Halifax had also returned their day-five tests.

A total of 23,719 tests were conducted on Saturday – a new all-time record for the state – with a median wait time of an hour, Health Minister Stephen Wade said.

Since Monday, 108,799 swabs have been taken.

Latest figures show total vaccinations in SA reached 799,665 on Saturday, with that number now expected to be more than 800,000.