Covid cases in Adelaide, SA: Exposure sites listed at airport and Brighton

The PM has urged unvaccinated South Australians to help SA hit the 80 per cent milestone but played down fears about a new variant, as the number of Covid exposure sites rises.

*This coronavirus article is unlocked and free to read in the interest of community health and safety. Click here for full digital access to trusted news from The Advertiser

All passengers on two Qantas Flights into Adelaide must now quarantine after a third case was revealed earlier on Thursday.

It comes as Prime Minister Scott Morrison praised South Australians for their efforts in getting vaccinated and assured them that a new heavily mutated Covid-19 strain detected in South Africa is not yet a variant of concern to Australia.

Mr Morrison said the “best protection” against “any new variant” was vaccination, and urged unvaccinated South Australians to help the state hit the 80 per cent double-dose milestone.

“Today here in South Australia, we’ve got half a per cent to go, so if you haven’t had your second dose of the vaccination, let’s go out and get that jab,” Mr Morrison said while visiting the Tonsley Innovation District in Adelaide on Friday.

“Tomorrow, let’s make this an 80 per cent double-vaccinated state.”

The PM is also sending a letter to every Australian home pleading with people to book their third jab, as Covid wreaks havoc across Europe.

Three Qantas flights have now been listed as exposure sites, bringing the total number to 15.

Those on Qantas flight QF739 from Sydney on Wednesday must get tested and quarantine for different time lengths depending on vaccination status.

QF739 was marked as a close contact exposure location by SA Health on Thursday evening, while QF679 from Melbourne on Tuesday was identified as a casual contact exposure site.

Vaccinated passengers on QF739 must quarantine for seven days from the time of the flight, get tested immediately and on days six and 13, not attend high risk settings, wear a surgical mask when around others and avoid contact with vulnerable people.

Unvaccinated passengers on the flight must quarantine for 14 days and follow the same testing requirements.

The Covid testing station in Tailem Bend. Picture: Morgan Sette

Those on Qantas flight QF679 from Melbourne on Tuesday must quarantine until they receive a negative test result, as well as anyone who visited Berri’s Riverland Hokkien Chinese Restaurant between 7.15pm to 7.55pm on Wednesday.

Those at the Berri restaurant and on the flight must get tested and quarantine until a negative result is received, and also must wear a mask at all times, get tested on days six and 13 and avoid contact with vulnerable people.

Other exposure sites were listed by SA Health on Thursday evening.

Low risk casual contact locations were identified at Adelaide Airport on Wednesday between 2pm to 4pm and Tuesday from 10.20am to 11am, on Wednesday at Elizabeth Shopping Centre (including Target) from 12.30pm to 1pm, Mobil X Convenience at Green Fields from 2.15pm to 2.30pm, Woolworths at Mawson Lakes between 2pm to 2.15pm and Kalymnos Pastries at Torrensville on Tuesday from 11.15am to 11.55am.

Those at these locations do not need to quarantine or get tested, but should receive a test if symptoms develop.

Those are in addition to the case on Qantas flight QF733 on Wednesday affecting passengers in rows 1-4.

The cases announced on Thursday are a man in his 50s and a woman in her 20s, who both acquired their infection interstate.

The third case is a man in his 60s who acquired his infection overseas.

All cases are in isolation and have been transferred to a quarantine facility while household close contacts are also in quarantine.

Health officials are urgently following up any additional casual contacts and affected businesses.

The case reported on Wednesday has returned to Victoria and is no longer counted as an active case in South Australia.

OTHER Covid NEWS

Test failed: Why supermarket Covid kits are banned in SA

Why some drivers aren’t being checked at the border

Covid variant with ‘horrific’ mutations detected

SA’s vaccination rate stands at 79.5 per cent fully vaccinated, while 88.2 per cent have had one shot.

SA recorded its third positive Covid case after an infectious traveller from Sydney touched down at Adelaide Airport on Wednesday morning.

Anyone who was in rows 1-4 on the infectious traveller’s flight, Qantas QF733 which arrived at 10.15am on Wednesday, must immediately quarantine for 14 days, or seven days if fully vaccinated.

There are different testing requirements for people who are vaccinated and unvaccinated.

Anyone on board the flight in rows five and beyond, or who visited Krispy Kreme Adelaide Airport from 10.40am to 11.20am Wednesday, should get tested immediately and quarantine until you get a negative result. They must also be tested on days six and 13.

Low-risk casual contacts include anyone at the Adelaide Airport on Wednesday from 10.15am and 11.25am, or Brighton Central from various times Wednesday – they should monitor their symptoms.

Mr Morrison stood by opening to migrants and international students in coming week.

“Particularly in a state like South Australia which has been so successful in not having the Covid impacts that we’ve had... we’ve got to be careful, but at the same time, we have to move forward,” Mr Morrison said.

“We’ve got to live with this virus, and we’ve got to live together with this virus too, that’s the whole point of getting everybody vaccinated.”

‘LOW RISK’ CASE IN CHILD

It comes after a young Victorian girl visiting her Adelaide-based grandparents became South Australia’s first Covid-19 case since borders reopened amid warnings the state faces “uncharted waters”. A further case was also revealed on Wednesday, however, it was considered not risky as it was a historic case.

The six-year-old child, who is well and had no symptoms but is not eligible for a jab, drove from the small cross-border town of Nhill, almost 80km east of SA, within hours of it reopening to eastern states on Tuesday.

SA’s Covid health chief said the girl only visited her fully vaccinated grandparents in Adelaide’s northern suburbs, meaning there was low risk for any public exposure sites.

Chief public health officer Professor Nicola Spurrier earlier told Advertiser readers during a live chat, it was “inevitable” SA would suffer outbreaks but contact tracing would stop out of control clusters.

She also hoped vaccinations for children younger than 12 would be approved before the start of the school year in 2022.

Covid update with SA Health Chief Public Health Officer Professor Nicola Spurrier. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Brenton Edwards

At a snap press briefing late on Wednesday, Prof Spurrier warned the state was entering “uncharted waters” but urged people to not be alarmed.

She said the girl, who was in the early stages of her infection, was not considered to pose a risk of community transmission.

“Not unexpectedly we do have a Covid case here,” said Prof Spurrier.

“I think she’s pretty fine, but she’s probably feeling a little bit sad that she’s not been able to have kisses and cuddles.

“She’s heading back across the border … and hopefully when she recovers, she’ll be back here to see her relatives again.”

Communicable Disease Control Branch investigators are confident the family – the child’s vaccinated mother and sibling who was also younger than 12 – only stopped once for a toilet break but Prof Spurrier declined to say where due to no public threat.

In the final stage of their 350km journey from western Victoria, the family got tested at Tailem Bend but travelled on to Adelaide. Prof Spurrier said the mother did nothing wrong.

“This is not something to be alarmed about – everybody is now in quarantine who was in contact with that case,” Prof Spurrier said.

The family, who were among more than 75,500 applications to travel into SA since borders came down after 153 days, were in quarantine at home in Victoria on Wednesday night.

The two grandparents are also in isolation for the next seven days. It is the first local case in six weeks.

Prof Spurrier, who permitted travellers to leave quarantine they had entered before borders reopened, wants at least 8000 daily tests to be confident of Covid levels in SA.

Prof Spurrier reported a surge in testing with almost 7000 Covid tests on Tuesday, compared with 4698 on Monday – a level that has been consistent for the past six weeks.

Under legal directions, all travellers entering the state must get tested 72 hours before travelling including children.

Latest Commonwealth data shows 79 per cent of adults older than 16 are fully vaccinated while 87.9 per cent have their first dose.

Premier Steven Marshall said authorities were ready.

“As Nicola Spurrier has always said, ‘you can’t keep this disease out’. What we’ve tried to do though is bring it in on our own terms,” he said.

SA’s borders reopened to the eastern states on Tuesday, after 153 days. And with Christmas fast approaching The Advertiser has collated all the most up-to-date rules for travelling between the different Australian states this Christmas period.