New SA case as QR code tracing to be introduced in SA from December 1

SA has a new case today, a man in his 40s, and it’s been revealed that last night’s case had visited the Woodville Pizza Bar. Meanwhile, QR code tracing will begin from December 1.

South Australia has a new coronavirus case today, a man in his 40s linked to the Parafield cluster.

And it’s been revealed that last night’s case, a school student, had visited the Woodville Pizza Bar, a virus hot spot.

Today’s case is a close contact of an earlier case. He is in quarantine with his family and brings the total in the cluster to 31.

“We feel confident because of the circuit breaker ... we don’t have a risk of that going forwards,” chief public health officer Nicola Spurrier said.

In other developments from SA’s COVID briefing:

• QR code tracing to begin from December 1;
• Authorities are still aiming to lift COVID measures on December 1;
• It’s still hoped Christmas will be celebrated as usual;
• SA is on track to open our borders with Victoria from Tuesday;
• No new international arrivals until SA Health says it is safe to do so

It appears the Woodville High student contracted the virus at Woodville Pizza Bar after collecting a pizza from there in mid November, Prof Spurrier said.

“This person has done the right thing. I am strongly of the belief nothing was done that was wrong,” Prof Spurrier said.

“It looks as though she has had an exposure at the Woodville Pizza Bar having picked up a pizza on November 14 when that was an infectious period.

“It’s very important anybody in that area, particularly if you frequent that pizza bar, look at our website, look at our dates when we know there were people with infections, and think, ‘do I need to get tested’.

“This exposure was way back at the beginning. We still haven’t completely nailed exactly how she got infected, and when she was infectious.

“There’s also the possibility there might have been someone else, another person who had been infected that this person’s become infected through. The jury’s still out on that.”

SA Health on Thursday night released a new list of places subject to a COVID-19 alert. People who visited at certain times should monitor for symptoms and seek testing if they appear.

Meanwhile, the State Government plans to begin QR code tracing from December 1, Premier Steven Marshall says.

A decision on the further easing of restrictions will now go to the Transmission Committee tomorrow but authorities don’t think Christmas will be unduly affected by recent events.

Asked why SA Health wasn’t seeking to have people without symptoms tested – as was done in Victoria, Prof Spurrier said it would cause lengthy delays to results.

“The turnaround time of the tests can blow out – what we’re trying to do is focus our testing, we have a way of putting priority on testing,” she said.

Premier Steven Marshall and Chief Public Health Officer Professor Nicola Spurrier, prepare to speak to media. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Naomi Jellicoe

“So for people in Woodville, if that’s written on the form that will get a priority for us.”

On restrictions, Police Commissioner Grant Stevens said a Transition Committee meeting was being held tomorrow and “we’ll take SA Health advice”.

“But we’re still aiming for a Christmas as normal as possible with similar restrictions as we had back in November,” he said.

The QR Codes will be mandatory in certain locations, but “we will give SA time to get on board”, Mr Stevens said.

On borders, he said SA was on track to open our borders with Victoria from Tuesday.

“We are hoping to resume normalised borders across Australia for Christmas”, maybe earlier.

On international students, the Premier said SA would not take in new international arrivals until SA Health says it is safe to do so.

Mr Marshall said mandatory OR codes locations will be forthcoming – it will be for people who come into close contact with people in the community, such as cafes, pubs, restaurants, swimming centres and sporting facilities. “Where we want to know the movement of people around SA so the communicable disease control branch can get on it straight away,” Mr Marshall said.

Earlier, Health and Wellbeing Minister Stephen Wade played down public concern the Government is preparing to enforce another lightning lockdown.

“There’s no suggestion to me there will be any increase in restrictions at the 1.30pm update (the daily COVID press conference),” he said during multiple radio interviews on Thursday morning.

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The Woodville High student tested positive to coronavirus on Wednesday night prompting an urgent warning from health authorities.

SA Health on Wednesday night revealed the new case and urged anyone who attended the school at 11 Actil Avenue, St Clair, on Monday, November 23 to immediately self-isolate.

Mr Wade said “significant numbers’ of people would be going into isolation today.

He also foreshadowed a pop up clinic at Woodville after he meets health officials on Thursday morning – the Queen Elizabeth Hospitals’s COVID clinic today does not open until noon, and is only for adults which rules out students from Woodville High.

Deputy chief public health officer Dr Michael Cusack, who also spoke on multiple radio programs, said while anyone who attended Woodville High on Monday, and their families, must immediately self-isolate, he hoped many would be able to come out of quarantine early.

Woodville High School is closed on Thursday after a female student tested positive to coronavirus. Pic Tait Schmaal.

He said officials would use a process of elimination to find who was not in areas of the school where they may have been in close contact with the new case, and if it was established they were not in an area of close contact they would be able to come out of isolation.

“A lot going into self-isolation will be able to come out,” he said.

He said he did not expect to see a sharp rise in numbers but stressed it was better to quickly “place a ring really wide” in isolating potential contacts then work backwards as more information comes in.

2/3 As a result the school will be closed on Thursday 26 November until further notice.

Anyone who attended the site on Monday 23 November 2020 must isolate immediately with all members of their household until further advice is provided.

— Dept for Education (@edu_sagov) November 25, 2020

He said contract tracers had been working “in terms of interviews” overnight Wednesday and into Thursday morning.

“We believe the student was at school on Monday when they were likely to be infectious,” he said. They are also looking at whether the student used public transport.

“When you act on early information you need to go wide, but when more information comes to light we can be more precise,” he said..

“Up to this point and with the student we’ve been speaking to I think we’ve been able to get the information we need so far.”

Woodville High School is now closed to allow SA Health to do detailed contact tracing and risk assessment and for deep cleaning. Several cleaning crews arrived on Thursday morning.

Anyone with COVID-19 symptoms should present for testing as soon as possible.

For more information and testing locations visit www.sahealth.sa.gov.au/covid2019