SA imposes new border rules as Melbourne Covid cluster grows

SA authorities have announced new border rules amid the worsening Melbourne outbreak – which has now been linked back to the Playford Hotel leak.

For more information on this story, please see the latest updates here.
The State Government has announced new border restrictions with Victoria as that state races to contain a Covid-19 outbreak that has been linked to an SA medi-hotel.

SA Police said on Monday night that anyone arriving after 8.25pm who had visited a Tier 1 or 2 Victorian exposure site would be barred from entering the state.

Anyone already in SA who has visited the sites during the exposure window is required to get tested and quarantine for 14 days, while anyone who has been in the City of Whittlesea since May 6 must get tested and self-quarantine until they receive their first negative test.

Thousands of shoppers at Melbourne’s Highpoint Shopping Centre have been ordered to isolate after four people in the northern suburbs tested positive to coronavirus and sparked a scramble to find a missing infection link.

The Cross Border-Associated Direction has been updated in South Australia. For more information please visit: https://t.co/iyaHIQ2qcipic.twitter.com/Q2ZDpXFGtm

— South Australia Police (@SAPoliceNews) May 24, 2021

Victoria recorded one new local case of coronavirus on Tuesday that could be the “missing link” by possibly connecting the fresh outbreak with a previous case.

Acting Premier James Merlino confirmed the new case – a man in his 60s – which takes the state’s number of new local cases to five.

“He was identified as a contact from case number one and was urgently tested, producing the positive result,” Mr Merlino said.

“He is isolating as are his household contacts.”

The new case also prompted the reintroduction of Covid restrictions in Greater Melbourne.

From 6pm on Tuesday, private gatherings in the home will be limited to five visitors a day, while public gatherings will be limited to 30 people.

Everyone aged 12 years and older will also be required to wear face masks indoors.

The four new cases announced on Monday were a man in his 30s, a man in his 70s, a woman in her 70s and a preschool-aged child all from the same family but spread across three households.

Covid-19 testing at the Northern Hospital in Epping has temporarily closed on Tuesday as they have hit capacity. Picture: David Crosling

Mr Merlino said the genomic sequencing results for the outbreak had confirmed it was “closely linked” to the Wollert case that originated in South Australian hotel quarantine.

He said the man in his 60s reported developing symptoms before first case in the outbreak, so it could be the missing link to connected the outbreak.

“This could be a possible source case but a full investigation and interview process is under way and has to run its course,” Mr Merlino said.

All new public exposure sites can be found listed on the Victorian Health Department’s website.