Surge in number of people crossing into SA from Victoria after new crackdown
Hundreds more travellers have entered SA from Victoria in the past week than the previous one, as authorities crack down on cross-border communities.
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- Thebarton cluster contained, 1400 people out of isolation
- Victorian cross-border towns banned from entering SA
Hundreds more travellers have entered South Australia from Victoria in the past week and were part of the largest group of interstate visitors to the state despite a hard border, official figures show.
As the state’s latest cluster was declared contained and no new cases emerged on Saturday, police data showed 6910 border approvals occurred in the six days to Thursday night. In comparison 6486 travellers crossed from Victoria the previous week.
More permits were issued for commercial transport and freight services as well as cross border communities in a week in which authorities announced a new crackdown.
Despite a border ban on all but essential travel, Victorian-based travellers were the biggest of 15,452 visitors, compared to 15,745 the previous week. Border community Victorians will be banned from entering SA to shop, care, work or attend school to stop the deadly coronavirus second wave jumping state lines.
“Our information … is they are still seeing new cases in regional Victoria and for us that is really the concern,” said chief public health officer Professor Nicola Spurrier as she said freight services were vital to the economy.
The Advertiser revealed on Saturday the Thebarton cluster was contained and more than 1400 people released from isolation.
Speaking at the state’s first dedicated multicultural testing clinic at the Wali-e-Asr Centre, Edinburgh North, Prof Spurrier was “extremely pleased” by the cluster news but said to be safe she wanted one more fortnight incubation cycle completed.
She urged people to return to Prospect Rd, the location at which two businesses were named in a public health alert.
She bought a chocolate birthday cake for one of her deputies from a Prospect Rd bakery on Friday.
She said the Agha juice house, Blair Athol and Kilburn Persian rug business, Najafi Carpet Gallery, were safe.
““I know there are a number of businesses on Prospect Road who may have been affected by this news,” she said.
“These places are perfectly safe to visited and I hope the businesses pick up.
“There are also some other key businesses on Prospect Road that might have also felt impacted during the time. But it is perfectly safe to visit and in fact I went and picked up a wonderful chocolate cake from a … bakery yesterday (Friday). There is no reason to avoid Prospect Road businesses.”
She was “extremely pleased” to get the news that the cluster’s close contacts had been cleared.
While it was “very good news”, she said she wanted to monitor two “full incubation periods” of a fortnight each before she could say “we are home and hosed”. “But we are in a very good position,” she said.
She said while there had been no community transmission in a very long time, people should not become complacent.
SA Health said help from the state’s multicultural leaders and their communities was vital in containing the spread.
Opposition spokesman Chris Picton said all trucks and vehicle must be checked.