Call for dozens of people linked to Tailem Bend petrol station and cafe to get tested

Dozens of people have been linked to new SA Covid-19 exposure sites – a petrol station and cafe – after they were visited by Sydney removalists while infectious.

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Dozens of people have been linked to new South Australian Covid-19 exposure sites, as authorities race to stop any spread of the Delta strain after infectious Sydney removalists travelled to the state for work.

SA Health identified the Tailem Bend Shell petrol station as a “high risk” exposure site, along with the adjacent Coolabah Tree cafe, where the crew of three removalists visited last Friday night.

A potential third SA exposure site was being investigated on Tuesday night but its location remained secret.

Deputy chief public health officer Dr Emily Kirkpatrick said anyone with even the mildest of symptoms, especially around the Murraylands area, must get tested.

“I would urge anyone who was at these locations but not at the specified date and time to monitor for symptoms and get tested as soon as any symptoms develop,” she said.

“Anyone with any Covid-19 symptoms, no matter how mild, should seek testing as soon as possible.”

Deputy chief public health officer Dr Emily Kirkpatrick speaks at a media conference in Adelaide on July 13. Picture: David Mariuz

The Shell service station in Tailem Bend at the centre of the Covid-19 scare. Picture: Morgan Sette

Those who visited the service station and cafe between 5.20pm and 7pm on July 9, including bathrooms, must immediately isolate for a fortnight from that time and have mandatory testing on days one, five and day 13.

While the crew was at the sites between 5.39pm and 6.24pm, SA Health increased the exposure times as part of its contact tracing efforts. At least one of the crew, who were moving a Western Sydney family to McLaren Vale, was likely infectious while at the service station.

Using QR code data, contact tracers on Tuesday ordered at least 32 close contacts linked to the Tailem Bend sites – 19 in the station and 13 in the cafe – be urgently tested. These included two workers, one of whom was showing symptoms of illness.

Both Shell staffers, and their household contacts, later returned negative test results but must remain in quarantine for the next 14 days and complete further checks.

The crew, two of whom have English as a second language requiring interviews with interpreters, did not use QR code check-ins. Another 44 people are being risk assessed after telling SA Health they visited the sites, almost 100km south-east of Adelaide.

Hundreds of locals also sought urgent checks at the Tailem Bend Covid testing site, which had its hours extended to cope with demand.

Local chef Matt Grove, 33, said his family was not worried if everyone followed the rules. “We were a bit shocked but hopefully they’ve got it under control,” he said.

Two of the crew wore masks when they entered the servo but removed them to eat and drink. Their colleague, aged in his 30s, stayed in his removal truck. NSW authorities had told him shortly before they arrived that he was a close contact of a Sydney case, linked to the Bondi cluster.

He later tested positive to the Delta strain. Authorities believe one of his colleagues has the highly infectious strain. The third crew member, who has provided extensive details to authorities about their travel after they arrived into SA late on Thursday night, is not sick.

The McLaren Vale family of four, who had contact with the crew for up to five hours, have also returned negative Covid tests but have been ordered into 14 days of quarantine.

No exposure sites have been identified in McLaren Vale or Adelaide. A police inquiry is ongoing and none of the crew have been fined $1000 for breaching border permits.

At least two Victorian exposure sites have been identified – a petrol station and a McDonald’s near Ballarat. Dozens of Melbourne close contacts are in quarantine.

Victorian officials said the trio had provided “fulsome” information to contact tracers

Dr Kirkpatrick said it had taken time to map their trip.

“It’s been a matter of piecing together the history that we’ve had, we have had some language barriers,” she said.

SA’s borders to reopen to Qld

Meantime, South Australia’s borders will reopen to all of Queensland – but not until the end of the week.

Level 3 restrictions will come into place for the southeast of Queensland from one minute past midnight on Friday.

This means that people returning to SA from Brisbane, the Moreton Bay Region, Sunshine Coast Region, Shire of Noosa, Gold Coast, Logan City, Ipswich City, Redland City, Lockyer Valley Region, Scenic Rim, Somerset Region must get tested on days one, five and 13 and self-quarantine until the first negative result.

They also must not enter any high-risk setting, such as an aged care home or hospital, for 14 days after arriving in SA, and cannot attend an event where a Covid management plan is in place or there are more than 1000 people.

Those currently quarantining in SA from southeast Queensland can leave quarantine at one minute past midnight on Friday, but must still submit to the required testing on days one, five and 13.

There will be no change to the borders between SA and the ACT.

Premier Steven Marshall said authorities were “still concerned about the situation in NSW”.

NSW on Tuesday recorded 89 new cases, despite Greater Sydney being in its third week of lockdown.

Victoria recorded one new locally acquired case on Tuesday – a case linked to Sydney’s Delta strain.