SA Weekend: Inside story. How South Australia’s top leaders came together to quell the deadly threat of COVID-19

It is a crisis the likes of which has never seen before and may never see again. Over the next four days, we’ll take you inside SA’s war room to explain how our top brass came together to help the quell the threat of COVID-19.

Premier Steven Marshall, Chief Public Health Officer Professor Nicola Spurrier, Police Commissioner Grant Stevens, Health and Wellbeing Minister Stephen Wade. Picture MATT TURNER.

• Inside SA’s COVID-19 response, Friday: Grant Stevens
• Inside SA’s COVID-19 response, Saturday: Nicola Spurrier
• Inside SA’s COVID-19 response, Sunday: Stephen Wade
• Inside SA’s COVID-19 response, Monday: Steven Marshall

Over the past four months, four people have become the public faces of South Australia’s world-leading campaign to flatten the COVID-19 curve.

Premier Steven Marshall, chief public health officer Nicola Spurrier, Police Commissioner Grant Stevens and Health Minister Stephen Wade have borne the brunt of responsibility in a fight against a disease which has crippled the world.

Day after day, week after week, these four officials have fronted the media to let the South Australian public know the latest developments and provide the most updated health and containment advice.

Behind the scenes, they have worked day and night to keep the population safe, and made decisions - such as closing borders and imposing isolation and social distancing measures - which would have previously been unthinkable.

This week, a special edition of The Advertiser’s SAWeekend magazine takes you inside the machinations of the decision-making process which helped South Australia become the first coronavirus-free state in Australia.

Four of The Advertiser’s most experienced and respected journalists sat down with Marshall, Spurrier, Stevens and Wade - who we have dubbed the COVID Quartet - to uncover the rationale behind their deliberations and how they coped with the relentless pressure.

We’ll bring you the results of these interviews over the next four days.

PART 1- SHOW OF FORCE

Today, Police Commissioner Grant Stevens tells Nigel Hunt how he was forced to divert staff and resources into a COVID-19-specific operations centre. Read the story here.

PART 2- THE FACE OF OUR RESISTANCE

On Saturday, chief public health officer Nicola Spurrier explains to Penelope Debelle that she was only four months into the job when the virus hit, and why they decided to keep the schools open. Read the story here.

PART 3 - INTENSIVE CARE

On Sunday, Health and Wellbeing Minister Stephen Wade tells Brad Crouch that the collaboration and co-operation at both state and federal levels have been the keys to fighting the contagion. Read the story here.

PART 4 - A QUESTION OF LEADERSHIP

On Monday, Premier Steven Marshall tells Roy Eccleston how he rises at 4am daily to get ahead of the curve (pardon the pun) and how he realised early on that 2020 was not going to be a year for having a day off. Read the story here.

The series offers a unique and intriguing insight into the early mornings, sleepless nights and multi-departmental teamwork which ensured South Australia came through the worst of the crisis better than any other Australian state.

We hope you enjoy it.

FRIDAY PART 1 - SA Police Commissioner Grant Stevens

SATURDAY PART 2 - Chief Public Health Officer Dr Nicola Spurrier

SUNDAY PART 3 - Health Minister Stephen Wade

MONDAY PART 4 - Premier Steven Marshall