Peter Malinauskas says Covid close contact isolation rules will be dumped next week

SA will drop seven-day isolation for close contacts of Covid patients within days – as long as they follow strict rules.

Healthy South Australians who have close contact with an infectious Covid-19 patient will be free from isolation when crippling quarantine rules are dumped next week in time for the new school term.

In what authorities called a “substantial change”, Police Commissioner Grant Stevens will scrap quarantine laws from 12.01am next Saturday after more than two years.

The legal directions, to be relaxed a fortnight after mask mandates were dropped, means a well household contact of an infectious case will not be legally confined at home for a week if they comply with new rules.

REPLAY THE PRESS CONFERENCE

Business groups welcomed the overhaul after pleading with authorities to urgently scrap rules that had sparked chaos and staff shortages.

“More Covid relief has been provided in the last four weeks than the last two years,” Australian Hotels Association SA chief executive Ian Horne said.

Business SA policy and advocacy director Kendall Crowe said the rules had “crippled” owners and employers.

“(They) are breathing a sigh of relief right now,” she said.

Speaking on Friday night after a snap meeting of the state’s Covid chiefs, Premier Peter Malinauskas said data showed no new hospital pressures would occur and the move would avoid school holiday leave stresses.

Premier Peter Malinauskas with Professor Nicola Spurrier and Police Commissioner Grant Stevens, announcing the end of isolation for close contacts at midnight on Saturday. Picture: Tricia Watkinson

“Although it is a big relief for many in our community, we can provide assurance to others that it’s being done in a safe way that can be managed,” he said.

SA Health is grappling with two major outbreaks at the Northern Adelaide Local Health Network, which manages the Lyell McEwin Hospital, and various mental units.

The rules emerged after a meeting of cabinet’s emergency management council fast-tracked by four days.

Asymptomatic contacts must wear a mask in the community, are banned from high-risk settings such as hospitals, aged-care homes or jails, and must tell employers and educational facilities their status.

Contacts have to take rapid antigen tests at least five times in a week and SA Health will publish advice on when checks should occur.

Anyone who develops symptoms should immediately take a PCR lab test.

Those already isolating can leave with a negative RAT midnight on Saturday.

Chief public health officer Nicola Spurrier advised contacts to avoid “non-essential” gatherings and people at risk of severe illness.

She urged them to work from home when possible.

“It’s really just going to be a bit of common sense in terms of those other sorts of things,” she said.

Prof Spurrier said a Danish study found close contacts were 40 per cent more likely to contract Covid.

“When you … don’t have to be in quarantine, you need to be very mindful you could be developing the infection,” she said.

Mr Stevens said laws he will sign as state co-ordinator were “virtually what Prof Spurrier had put on the table”.

Chief public health officer Professor Nicola Spurrier announcing the end to close contact isolation. Picture: Tricia Watkinson

“The credit goes to South Australians for their willingness to comply with these harsh restrictions,” he said.

“We debated if we could do more, but there was general consensus these are the changes.”

The meeting was called after NSW and Victorian governments announced they would dump strict isolation rules for asymptomatic close contacts of Covid-positive people from Friday

SA recorded 4500 new Covid cases on Friday as numbers continued to fluctuating daily.

SA Health reported 4500 new cases, almost 500 more on Thursday’s total.

There have also been five more patients admitted to hospital in the past 24 hours to 246 cases needing medical attention.

This is below 252 cases recorded earlier this week, which was the highest rate since February 1.

While ICU cases is falling to 11 patients in intensive care, there have been four more deaths, three men in their 70s and a man in his 80s.

In the past week, SA Health has recorded fluctuating cases of about 2675 to 5400 a day.

While new special genomic testing shows 93 per cent of cases are the Omicron sub-variant, SA Health said there is no evidence of new strains.

Call to arms for kids’ Covid vaccine

Families are being urged to get their children vaccinated in the final week of school holidays, as South Australia waves goodbye to many of its Covid-19 restrictions next week.

Kiarah Hooker-Bretones, 10, who received her second vaccine from nurse Emma Davenport on Friday, overcame her nerves to get the jab.

“I was kind of nervous,” she said.

Kiarah said she was keen to enjoy the rest of her school holidays after her second dose.

Chief public health officer Nicola Spurrier said school holidays were the perfect time for kids to get the jab.

“Our clinics have plenty of capacity for both parents and children during the school holidays with various opening hours and walk-ins accepted,” Professor Spurrier said.

“As a paediatrician, I encourage all parents and caregivers to make sure their young ones are vaccinated against this disease.”

Registered nurse Emma Davenport with Kiarah Hooker-Bretones, 10, who just got her second dose. Picture: Julian Cunningham / SA HEALTH

Health Minister Chris Picton also backed the call to arms during the break.

“For many families there is some free time in school holidays with no sports or extra-curricular commitments,” Mr Picton said.

“Getting our kids vaxxed will protect them from serious illness, reduce transmission across the community, protect family members that are elderly and vulnerable, and hopefully lead to a less disrupted term 2.”

Their calls comes as Premier Peter Malinauskas announced on Friday that SA’s close contact rules would be scrapped ahead of the new school term.

From 12.01am next Saturday, close contacts will not be required to isolate for seven days but complete five negative Rapid Antigen Tests in a week.

Mr Malinauskas said he hoped the announcement would provide clarity to families ahead of the next term, which begins on May 2.

“The South Australian community, businesses, workers, our society generally, need a degree of certainty,” he said. “They need to know what the plan is.”

– Riley Walter