Two new cases in Modbury cluster on Thursday, new exposure sites

SA has recorded two new Covid cases on Thursday, both from the Tenafeate Creek winery, as Prof Spurrier says an exposure site message was sent in error.

SA recorded two new Covid cases linked to the Modbury cluster on Thursday but both cases have been in quarantine.

The state recorded two days of zero cases on Tuesday and Wednesday, as lockdown ended and new rules around masks began.

Masks must be worn by secondary students and all primary and high school staff for the first time, to help stop the potential spread of the latest Covid-19 outbreak.

Chief public health officer Nicola Spurrier said the two new cases on Thursday were a woman in her 80s – the wife of another case already in Tom’s Court - and a man in his 40s, a familiy member of the brother and sister who contracted the virus at Tenafeate Creek Winery.

It comes as SA Health updates its advice for the following locations – Fairview Park, Felixstow, Glenside, Greenwith, Marion, Marryatville and Unley.

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About 20,000 people have been at exposure sites, with about 5000 people in directed quarantine. There were 17,436 Covid tests on Wednesday.

At Thursday’s press conference, Prof Spurrier apologised for an alert that went out on Wednesday night listing two Aberfoyle Park sites as Tier 3 sites meaning anyone who was there had to isolate and get tested.

“It was an error, I do apologise for that, it should not have required anyone to go into quarantine,” she said.

It occured because in SA officials look back over three days before someone tests positive or shows symptoms as the period when they may already be infectious.

In these two cases a person visited the Aberfoyle Park sites earlier in the day before they went to The Greek restaurant where they caught the virus.

Chief public health officer Professor Nicola Spurrier. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Naomi Jellicoe

Prof Spurrier said the morning visits technically fell into the three-day incubation period which is why it was briefly listed before it was picked up by a team leader and removed.

Prof Spurrier apologised and thanked people who had got a test. “It was a small error,” she said.

She also moved to clarify rules around when tier one sites were downgraded, and what it meant for families having to quarantine for two weeks.

Tier one sites require the exposed person to get tested and isolate for two weeks, with their household. If that site is downgraded to a tier two – such as at Burnside Village shopping centre – the household can leave quarantine if the exposed person has tested negative and has no symptoms. The exposed person will still need to get other tests during their quarantine.

This allows children to get back to school, she said.

“If you have been in a tier one site that has been downgraded to a tier two, your household can leave quarantine but only if you have been tested negative,” Prof Spurrier said.

Asked if the Showdown between the Crows and Port – scheduled for Adelaide Oval this weekend – can have crowds, she said she had a “team looking at that”.

Prof Spurrier added there is mandatory testing for medi-hotel staff but a review had started to examine if that should apply to staff at private testing clinics and pathology as well.

The Modbury cluster moves to 21, with about 80 exposure sites. Around 5000 people are still in quarantine, and Police Commissioner Grant Stevens warned police were “scaling back up” checks on people in directed quarantine.

Premier Steven Marshall said SA had resumed its program to help with the repatriation of Australians stranded overseas.

“(It’s) full steam ahead for being those stranded citizens back,” Mr Marshall said.

National Cabinet would begin discussions on a model for a pathway out of lockdowns for Australia on Friday, he said.

“It’s going to be some time off and we’re looking at those thresholds we need to get to, those various stages, so we no longer have lockdowns,” he said.

“This is a very important decision for Australia and we need to get everyone around that national cabinet table to be playing their part”.

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Testing across SA increased on Tuesday, with 16,057 tests – higher than Monday, Premier Steven Marshall said.

“People are going back to work today, students are going back to schools today and that’s fantastic,” he said.

The big change coming out of lockdown is masks, which are “the new normal” in SA, the Premier said.

They are mandatory in high-risk and vulnerable settings and are included in a tiered system for schools, where secondary students should wear masks as though they were part of the compulsory uniform “for the foreseeable future”.

Masks are required for shopping, public transport, aged care, weddings and funerals.

“(Masks are) something that will have to become the new normal in South Australia,” Mr Marshall said.

“It’s like with the QR codes, at first some people said, ‘ugh this isn’t going to work’ and then a few days later it became second nature and this will be the same with masks.”

SEE OUR GUIDE TO MASKS AT SCHOOLS HERE

Thebarton Senior College Principal Eva Kannis-Torry and wellbeing leader Libby Branford, with masks for their students. Picture: Tom Huntley

Mr Marshall said his heart went out to NSW, who recorded 177 cases today and extended lockdown until August 28.

“We’ve got to take a pretty tough stance on that,” he said, adding he was not rushing to bring people back to SA at the risk of another outbreak.

“We’ll look at every single case on an individual basis. There will certainly be very strong conditions on anyone who gets an exemption.”

SA Health granted 200 NSW exemptions applications overnight.

Talks are continuing with the federal government about further payments for businesses affected by Covid,” he said. About 3100 Covid relief payments had now been processed for SA businesses.

For people facing further quarantine with no leave entitlement, the government will pay a one-off $1500 payment.

About 5000 people are in two-week quarantine and cannot leave until their time is up.

“We’re not out of the woods yet, there are still … thousands of people in directed quarantine,” Mr Marshall said. “It is very possible that in the coming days we will see more infections emerge but I am very hopeful those people will already be in that directed quarantine. It’s why it is so important that if you are in directed quarantine (to serve out your 14 days).”

Chief public health officer Nicola Spurrier said new scientific evidence had proven the effectiveness of masks against Covid.

“If you have Covid and you don’t know about it, and people have had it but not had symptoms, that mask can stop 50 to 70 per cent of those particles going out and infecting someone else,” she said.

Thanking school students for wearing masks, Prof Spurrier warned it appeared the Delta strain was more infectious for younger people and masks in schools would help protect them. She urged their use in offices, where people often “let their guard down” with work colleges.

She said some people had been released from quarantine because the risk at the exposure site had been downgraded.

Mr Stevens warned compliance checks on people in directed quarantine had been “scaled back up”.

“We had scaled down compliance checking on people staying at home as part of directed quarantine … we have scaled that back up because of the lockdown and the critically important aspect of complying with those directives of quarantine,” Mr Stevens said

“If you are in directed quarantine, you should expect to get a visit from police just checking on your compliance.”

He said the mask uptake on Wednesday had been “excellent”.

“In public indoor places, it is a requirement,” he said. “If we come across people who are not complying, we will inquire … just because someone’s not wearing a mask doesn’t mean they’re not complying, they may have a legitimate reason.

As masks become part of everyday life in SA, Mr Marshall said people didn’t need to “turn into Gladys Kravitz” – a reference to the nosy neighbour from the TV series Bewitched.

“We don’t need to be the monitor for everybody’s behaviour here in South Australia, we’ve got to look after ourselves and our families, our local community but there are very legitimate reasons why some people can’t wear masks,” Mr Marshal told ABC Radio Adelaide on Wednesday.

“What we’re really looking for is a lot of kindness in South Australia at the moment.

“We’ve done really well working together … so we’re just really wanting people to continue to do the right thing and think about the highest level principles that we’re trying to get across here.”

The Education Department has begun distributing 90 pallets of masks to public schools throughout the state.

Wearing masks was the next step in returning to normal schooling, Education Minister John Gardner said.

“SA Health has said we’re all good to reopen our schools but they would like our secondary students and adults entering school sites to wear masks,” he said.

Department chief executive Rick Persse expected there would be some confusion at first but schools would take a conciliatory approach to enforcing the new rules.

Mr Persse said if there was a problem, such as a student refusing to wear a mask, “we would work out a bespoke solution to make sure we have compliance”.

Prof Spurrier wrote yesterday to public, Catholic and independent schools stressing the measure was needed.

While the lockdown had quickly dealt with the outbreak, “there is a real risk of further transmission in the SA community in the immediate future,” Prof Spurrier wrote.

More generally, Prof Spurrier said masks would “very likely” stay beyond a week but could be removed in jobs with extensive communication.

“I do think that we will be seeing masks into the future. I can’t tell you exactly when, but it’s something that I think South Australians are going to have to get used to,” she said.

“The basic rule of thumb for everyone … if you can wear a mask, wear a mask.”

A raft of new Covid-19 restrictions came into force from 12.01am today. Hospitality venues are capped at one person per 4sq m for seated eating and drinking only.

Indoor fitness facilities, such as gyms, dance classes, yoga and pilates, are capped at one person per 8sq m but masks are not required while exercising.

The transition committee, which advised Police Commissioner Grant Stevens as state Covid-19 co-ordinator the lockdown could end, will meet later this week.

Sport training can resume from today but competition is banned until next weekend.

Church services are allowed at 25 per cent density. Choir and congregational singing is banned but a performer can sing with social distancing.

SA Health is in talks with various organisers that had permission to host events with more than 1000 people but there will be no AFL in Adelaide this weekend.

Illuminate festival organisers said they were working with SA Health to determine which of its outdoor events could go ahead later this week.

But its concert by The Avalanches with the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra has been postponed from Friday until October 13, and all ticketed events in its MAAD program (Music and Art After Dark) are cancelled for this weekend.

For schools, all students from year 8 up must wear a mask indoors. Masks will not be required outdoors but they should be carried and worn when congregating, such as at a canteen.

Secondary and primary school staff must wear a mask except when teaching.

Surgical or cloth masks can be worn, and the department does not plan to restrict students from using personalised masks such as ones in the colours of the Power or Crows. Thebarton Senior College principal Eva Kannis-Torry said the school was “really pleased” there was a way to return to face-to-face teaching in a safe way.

“A lot of the students will be relieved,” she said.

Professor Nicola Spurrier at a Covid update press conference. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Naomi Jellicoe

Exemptions apply for students with a disability and staff or children with a medical condition affecting mask-wearing .

Early Childhood Education and Care staff do not need a mask.

Schools are trying to minimise the number of adults entering campuses, and all visitors must wear a mask.

“That said, for our littlest learners we want to make sure they’re safely transitioning to school,” Mr Persse said. “We expect to see parents dropping off those little ones and we’ll meet them (at the school gate).

“Our staff will wear a mask while they’re fraternising with those adults and we expect the parents will be wearing masks as well.”

Catholic Education director Neil McGoran said mask wearing would apply to year 7 and above. Students would be encouraged to bring their own mask, but “schools will be able to provide a mask to any student who does not bring one”, he said.

Universities will continue to provide most lectures and tutorials remotely but will allow students back on campus, with masks strongly recommended.

“It is expected that everyone who does come to campus will have their own mask and wear it,” Adelaide University chief operating officer Bruce Lines said.

The Australian Education Union said a mask policy applied in Victoria and teachers supported the health advice.

However, AEU SA president Lara Golding said teachers were still concerned the government had not agreed to give them vaccination priority after health and frontline workers.

Mr Marshall has not replied to a letter on the issue, Ms Golding said.

Mr Gardner said 75 per cent of teachers were in eligible vaccinations categories, mostly by being over 40 or in regional areas.

Two schools which were exposure sites – Westminster School and Gawler and District B-12 College – will continue with remote learning while staff complete isolation. Westminster’s Early Learning Centre will operate normally.

Prof Spurrier said it was “very important” people who had been directed into quarantine stay in isolation despite the lockdown lifting.

There are 19 cases linked to the Modbury cluster, aged between 2 and 87.

In total, there are 25 infectious people in the CBD’s Tom’s Court Covid facility. Cases include three patients from the Tea Tree Gully Council area and two each from Salisbury and the Barossa Valley.

There are also patients from the Burnside, Holdfast Bay, Gawler and Onkaparinga local government areas.

Two patients – the cluster’s source, a man, 81, and a woman aged in her 80s – are stable in the Royal Adelaide Hospital.

More than 5000 people are in quarantine after visiting high-risk exposure sites, including Tenafeate Creek Winery, at Yattalunga, last Sunday and The Greek on Halifax restaurant the night before. More than 134,000 Covid tests have occurred in SA over the past week.