SA Covid lockdown day 7: No new cases on Tuesday, lockdown to lift at midnight
SA has recorded no new Covid cases, with the lockdown set to lift at midnight - replaced by tough restrictions and masks at schools.
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South Australia has recorded no new Covid cases since Monday, with the state on course to emerge from its seven-day lockdown on Tuesday night.
Premier Steven Marshall said he was "delighted" to report zero cases overnight - which came as NSW recorded 172 cases.
"I'm absolutely delighted to announce no new cases since yesterday's update," Mr Marshall said. "That's a huge relief, for all South Australians."
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Mr Marshall warned new restrictions and mask rules would come into place to "stop the state going backwards".
"We don't want to have a relapse, we only want to do this once, so we will have some high-level restrictions in place," he said.
As schools return on Wednesday, masks will be mandatory at high-risk settings such as aged care and hospitals, indoor public places and services such as as beauticians and hairdressers. They are strongly recommended at workplaces, especially open-plan offices.
Masks will be mandatory indoors at high schools, with "90 pallets of face masks going to secondary schools across SA".
"There's a new part of the uniform for secondary school students," Mr Marshall said.
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Chief public health officer Nicola Spurrier said there was a "basic rule of thumb for masks: if you can wear a mask, wear a mask".
However, unlike Victoria, masks are not required outdoors, including at schools.
Prof Spurrier said the rules around masks would last for a "minimum of seven days" but was likely to be at least two weeks, the length of the virus' incubation period.
"South Australians are going to have to get used to using masks in certain situations," Prof Spurrier said
Sport will restart next weekend - including AFL and SANFL - but churches can open this weekend if they keep to the 1/4sqm rule. Singing is not allowed.
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There was a "phenomenal" 134,130 tests in SA over the past seven days, Mr Marshall said, with about 7.5% of the state getting tested.
About 6000 people remain in two-week quarantine after visiting high-risk sites. They will have to finish their quarantine after lockdown ends. They are among 19,800 people linked to at least 80 exposure sites.
SA has 25 active Covid cases, with two people in a stable condition in hospital.
Police Commissioner Grant Stevens said police had fined 256 people and delivered 455 formal warnings during lockdown, but largely gave SA a 10/10 for its efforts.
He asked people to "take a commonsense, moderate approach" to getting businesses prepared for tomorrow.
The Modbury cluster grew by one case to 19 on Monday after its oldest patient, 87, became infectious more than a week after attending a “superspreader” event at the Tenafeate Creek Winery, at Yattalunga, last Sunday.
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The latest case is in the Tom’s Court Covid facility with his wife, who is not sick.
SA Health has ordered 110 people, and some family, into medi-hotels after they were linked to the high-risk winery and The Greek on Halifax exposure sites.
The youngest patient is a two-year-old boy, who is linked to the restaurant. Another two patients, the cluster’s source, a man, 87, and a woman in her 80s, are stable in the RAH.