State on tenterhooks as diners at two exposure sites forced into medi-hotel quarantine

South Australia faces a nervous wait with thousands in quarantine and about 100 diners at two super-spreader sites being ordered into medi-hotels.

Almost 5000 people are in quarantine, including about 100 ordered suddenly into medi-hotels, as the Modbury cluster rises to 14.

But Premier Steven Marshall remains hopeful the statewide lockdown will end after a week – as all known cases are linked.

“If we’d already started to see examples of unlinked community transmission across the state that would be cause for huge pessimism,” he said.

“We’ve got exactly the opposite here. Every one of our cases so far is linked.

“We have two superspreader sites at the moment but we have a huge number of people in quarantine and the entire state in a seven-day lockdown.”

Professor Nicola Spurrier at a Covid update press conference with Police Commissioner Grant Stevens. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Naomi Jellicoe

Chief public health officer Nicola Spurrier on Thursday initially said 216 people plus household members would go into medi-hotel quarantine – 91 identified at The Greek on Halifax restaurant and 125 at Tenafeate Creek Winery due to risk of contact with positive cases.

But this was dramatically revised down to about 100 people including household ­members.

Prof Spurrier said: “We are working through the care needs of individuals, who have been identified as being at high-risk exposure sites.

“We anticipate around 100 people will be transferred to a medi-hotel to complete their quarantine. This process has started with some individuals and household members transferred.”

SA Health on Thursday night identified additional Covid-19 exposure locations, most notably the TAFE SA Regency Campus at Regency Park (Monday) and Modbury Service SA (Tuesday, July 13).

Boothby Liberal MP Nicolle Flint labelled recent transfers of people to medi-hotels as “draconian” in a tweet.

“I’m sorry but this is COMPLETELY UNACCEPTABLE. Why can’t people self-iso at home? This draconian act will mean in future people will a) not go out & support small businesses like wineries & restaurants (who are already under pressure bcos of Covid), or, b) not do Covid sign in.”

In a day of Covid drama:

A BROTHER and sister in their 20s who were at Tenafeate Creek Winery tested positive, although their parents at the same function tested negative, pushing the total to 14 since Monday;

ALL workers in “red zone” paths of international arrivals, including medical, ambulance, medi-hotel, security, transport and airport staff, must be fully vaccinated by August 3 – about 260 such workers are not vaccinated;

THE Lot 14 testing site to fast-track high-priority cases opened briefly then closed due to leakage problems in the wet weather.

TESTING sites were again overwhelmed, with people waiting upwards of 12 hours.

Meanwhile, authorities are combing CCTV footage to find how many people were at The Greek on Halifax on Saturday night and the winery on Sunday afternoon. To date, 53 of the 91 identified at the restaurant have been tested, and 34 of the 125 identified at the winery.

The seven positive winery cases were all dining indoors but at different tables.

As well as hundreds in medi-hotels, more than 4000 people are now in home quarantine as they are considered Tier 1 or 2 cases – having a high risk of being infectious and not allowed to leave home for any reason.

They are among 13,610 people in SA Health’s four-tier system. Tier 3 directs people to quarantine until their first negative test, while Tier 4 advises people at low risk to monitor for symptoms.

Police Commissioner Grant Stevens said he had 115 staff, including sworn officers, in home quarantine due to potential exposure at three sites.

The Casa Bambini childcare centre at Seacliff is among exposure sites, as a child who was at The Greek on Halifax and tested positive had been there on Monday.

The state government on Friday will make full vaccination by August 3 mandatory for any workers such as security guards at risk of contact with international arrivals in the “red zone” path from the airport to medi-hotels or to hospital by ambulance.

Health and Wellbeing Minister Stephen Wade said there remained about “260 red zone workers who are not yet vaccinated” Mr Marshall declared authorities were continuing to plan for the lockdown to end after seven days, saying it was based on the information available at the time.

“Nothing that’s come since has suggested that we need to alter that,” he said. “People are massively reducing movement and that’s how we’re going to slow and stop the spread of this particular cluster.”