Victorian coronavirus spike casts doubt on SA border deadline
SA will review its July 20 date to drop quarantine rules for Victoria after 25 new COVID-19 cases there, as the Premier rules out an AFL hub here.
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South Australia won’t put up its hand to be an AFL hub, as interstate virus outbreaks and travel restrictions plunge the future of the season into doubt.
Premier Steven Marshall on Sunday told Advertiser.com.au he had discussed the Essendon COVID case with AFL boss Gillon McLachlan, but no offer for SA to become a hub had been requested or given.
The current fixture has the SA teams playing in a Queensland hub against the local teams there and the WA sides until July 5.
SA’s borders are scheduled to open to all inbound travellers on July 20, if COVID is under control. Mr Marshall says that date is now under review.
There is no current fixture for AFL matches after the weekend ending July 5.
Restrictions currently apply to travellers inbound to SA from Victoria and NSW, where the bulk of the teams the Crows and Power are yet to play are based.
Mr Marshall said the risks of being a hub outweighed any economic benefits to SA, and he was more intent on safely firing up our wider economy.
“Our focus is on opening up business in SA, not putting our hand up to be the next AFL hub,” he said.
“I did speak to Gillon McLachlan on Saturday.
“He certainly didn’t raise with me the issue of SA being a hub, I didn’t raise it with him. My focus at the moment is looking after my own state.
“That’s about making sure we can stand up as many jobs as we can.”
Authorities are more confident the NSW has the virus under control.
Mr Marshall said the State Government will review its decision to reopen the border to Victoria, where a spike in coronavirus cases has prompted renewed restrictions.
It comes as the AFL season was thrown into turmoil on Saturday, when Essendon defender Conor McKenna became the first player to test positive for COVID-19.
Australia’s top public health doctors meet on Sunday to discuss the spike in Victoria and a fivefold increase in community transmission cases combined with more than 1000 “close contacts” in self-isolation.
The State Government was aiming to have all borders opened by July 20 but Mr Marshall told the Sunday Mail SA would be closely watching the situation in Victoria.
He said the border would not be reopened if it risked jeopardising the health of South Australians and the state’s economic recovery.
“We will not open up to Victoria unless it’s safe,” Mr Marshall said. “It’s a timely reminder of how dangerous COVID-19 is … it’s one of the reasons why we very strongly follow the health advice.
“While we’ve put down July 20 as the date that all states’ borders will be removed, these are obviously subject to good results across the country.”
Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews, who this week questioned why anyone would want to visit SA, on Saturday announced 25 new cases, including 14 linked to existing outbreaks.
It was the fourth consecutive day of double-digit increases in new cases and prompted the Victorian Government to halt eased restrictions, and tighten others, until July 12.
He said more than half of the new cases since the end of April had come from family-to-family transmission.
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“It’s unacceptable that families anywhere in (Victoria) can, just because they want this to be over, pretend that it is,” Mr Andrews said.
“It’s pretty clear that behind closed doors … they are not practising social distancing.”
Mr Andrews said strict lockdowns, including limited travel, like those the whole state faced in recent months, could be imposed in specific local government areas to combat outbreaks.
SA Health Minister Stephen Wade said officials were “very concerned” about the Victorian developments and urged people to heed health warnings.
“Certainly if the situation doesn’t change, the borders are not opening,” he said. “We are not going to open our borders to Victoria unless it is safe to do so.
“We are closely monitoring the situation. It’s really important that we nip this in the bud, not just for Victoria, but for the whole nation. Whatever it might be, we as a state are willing to support Victorians in what is a challenging time.”
He said this could include supplying protection equipment. Asked about Mr Andrews’ visit comments, Mr Wade replied: “The reality is Australian states have been known for a bit of banter, now is the time to face a very serious situation with a collective determination.”
SA Health yesterday announced South Australia had recorded its 25th day of zero daily cases.