SA Covid quarantine scheme reduced to two hotels
They’ve been one of the most controversial part of the state’s Covid plans but now Adelaide’s medi-hotels are gearing down as it’s revealed how many have done time in them.
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The state’s taxpayer-funded Covid-19 quarantine program will be wound down to just two medi-hotels as the Omicron wave declines.
SA Health data shows over almost two years, 36,000 travellers from 110 countries, and thousands more Covid patients or close contacts, have stayed in eight medi-hotels.
But after Australia’s hard international borders last week reopened, authorities will keep the Pullman, on Hindmarsh Square, and Tom’s Court, King William St as official quarantine facilities.
An SA Health spokeswoman said foreign travel resuming “signals the winding down” of medi-hotels. Costing taxpayers at least $120m, it was “one of the most important systems we put in place at the start of the pandemic”, she said.
“By mid-March only two medi-hotels will remain in operation, which will be used for Covid-positive cases or unvaccinated international travellers who cannot isolate at home,” the spokeswoman said. New rules state Covid patients are exempt from isolation as a close contact for two months.
SA Health on Sunday recorded two deaths of people while infected with Covid, men aged in their 70s and 80s, bringing the Covid-related death toll to 190 from an overall total of infections of 160,520.
There were 1688 new cases, down from 1861 the previous day, with 103 people in hospital, 12 in intensive care and two on ventilators. There are 18,345 active cases.
Authorities believe last week’s spike – the highest since Australia Day – is from schools and universities returning, winter sports training restarting and Fringe crowds.
The Covid Ready Committee is “closely monitoring” case and hospital rates as authorities this week debate a fourth tranche of restrictions to relax, officials say.
Senior government sources cautioned case data would not be reflected in hospital admissions for 10 days to a fortnight due to lag times from infection.
New SA Health data shows nearly 6900 active, or infectious, patients are children and teenagers younger than 18.
This is almost 40 per cent of SA’s 18,363 active cases.
More than 4000 students are absent for Covid reasons.
Figures show 56 per cent of children aged five to 11 have one jab after just 880 Pfizer doses were administered last week, compared to 21,000 in late January. Almost 380,000 eligible adults, or a third, have not had a third booster jab.
The sources said the CRC would ponder “challenging” advice for Police Commissioner Grant Stevens as the state co-ordinator considers a “baseline” of restrictions. Decisions so far centred on “relatively low-hanging fruit”.
Governor Frances Adamson this week approved the 26th, and possibly last, extension to the state of emergency.
Mr Stevens has declined to give a specific date, but it is due to lapse by April 1.
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