Wednesday's live blog has now ended. We have started a new live blog for all the latest updates on Thursday, July 1 – go here for the latest details.
SA Covid updates: What we know so far after family of five tests positive to Covid-19
A South Australian miner and four of his family members have tested positive to Covid-19 after he returned from the NT. However, SA is not going into lockdown and there are no new cases so far.
• This coronavirus article is unlocked and free to read in the interest of community health and safety. Click here for full digital access to trusted news from The Advertiser from $1 a week for the first 12 weeks.
On Wednesday, it was revealed that a man and four of his family members had tested positive after he returned to Adelaide from a Northern Territory mine, but South Australia is not going into lockdown.
For Thursday's unlocked live coverage of the Covid situation in SA, go here.
KEY POINTS:
- No new Covid cases on Thursday morning
- The infected miner and his family were isolating and have not been active in the community
- SA Health authorities have been retesting all 29 miners who returned to SA from the Northern Territory mine
- Adelaide Airport has been declared a Covid exposure site - anyone who was at the airport terminal on Friday, 25 June between 5.40pm and 6.30pm is asked to self-isolate for 14 days, get tested and notify SA Health
- Everybody on Virgin Flight VA1742, which landed in Adelaide on Friday June 25, asked to quarantine and get tested
- Home gatherings in SA now capped at 10 for metropolitan Adelaide, the Fleurieu Peninsula, Mt Barker, the Adelaide Hills and Barossa Valley
- Masks strongly recommended in public and indoor gatherings, as is working from home for those areas
- Home gatherings are capped at 150 for the rest of the state
- The man stopped for takeaway on his way home from the airport on Friday but the shop has not been named
- As both South Australian clubs make a mad dash to Victoria, the AFL has revealed its plan of attack for the Crows-Lions match
- Alice Springs into 72-hour lockdown from 1pm after the man spent time at the airport
- The man tested negative in Adelaide on his arrival home but later developed symptoms while isolating
- Prof Spurrier says the initial negative test but this was possibly a false negative
- His wife and three of his four children have now tested positive
- The miners and their families have been in isolation since news of the outbreak was made available, and all have tested negative
- Premier pleads with people not to panic buy
Authorities in SA enforced a raft of new restrictions from Tuesday - for the latest restrictions go here.
The SA borders are currently closed to all states except Tasmania and Victoria.
More Coverage
Updates
Live blog finished
The Crows and Port are flying out of Adelaide to Melbourne, to escape the Covid chaos – and as these photos show, they're bring their family.
Taylor Walker's son was following his dad closely at West Lakes today – clutching a footy.
Go here for the latest on how the AFL is dealing with the new Covid breakout.
No lockdown, but panic buying anyway
The Premier ruled out a lockdown five seconds into Wednesday’s press conference – but the hysteria and panic buying was already hitting supermarkets.
Over recent days, shelves have been stripped in some supermarkets as South Australia’s Covid restrictions increased, its borders closed to most states and lockdowns proliferated across the country.
– Michelle Etheridge
READ MORE HERE
Analysis: What not going into lockdown means for SA
South Australia has defied the lockdown trend – at least for now – and it sends a strong message to the nation, writes Paul Starick.
Standing firm in the face of the Covid storm is a stark contrast to the lockdowns now being endured by almost half of the nation’s population, mostly in four capital cities.
This sends a strong message about SA’s determination to stay open for business, while taking responsible health measures.
READ MORE HERE
Hundreds into isolation after new cases
Hundreds of people, including family members and close contacts of 29 returned miners, will go into 14 days isolation after the five new cases.
Takeaway shop staff and Covid testing station workers will also go into quarantine after possibly coming into contact with the returned miner, who has tested positive to the Delta Covid variant.
Alice Springs into three-day lockdown
Alice Springs has entered a three-day lockdown after the SA miner spent nearly seven hours at the town's airport on Friday.
While there were no new cases in the past 24 hours in the territory, NT chief minister Michael Gunner said the miner has put the community of Alice Springs on alert.
“We believe that he is highly infectious,” he said. “It is unlikely that he was highly infectious during his time at Alice Springs airport. But, like all other decisions, we will not take a punt on this.”
Big queues at Woolworths at Hilton as panic buying escalates across #Adelaide despite assurances by @marshall_steven that the city is not facing a lockdown as potential cases from a NT mining cluster grow. Updates @theTiser pic.twitter.com/kt4fPaEQxf
— Col James (@ColinJamesTiser) June 30, 2021
Crows match may still go ahead at Adelaide Oval
The Crows and Port Adelaide are set to fly to Melbourne on Wednesday afternoon as the nation’s Covid chaos hits South Australia.
With SA reporting five new cases, stemming from a returnee from a Northern Territory mine, both clubs will travel on a chartered flight ahead of their Round 16 games this weekend.
It will mean all 18 teams will be based in Victoria. But the Crows match against Brisbane may still be played at Adelaide Oval.
Port Adelaide’s match against Hawthorn – Shaun Burgoyne’s 400th game – will proceed as planned at Marvel Stadium on Saturday night.
– Matt Turner, Simeon Thomas-Wilson
Public urged to ramped up use of QR codes, wear masks
South Australians are being urged to ramp up their use of QR codes after the state recorded five cases of the fast-spreading Delta variant.
SA Police Commissioner Grant Stevens said the number of check-ins had fallen away from an average of about one million a day, off the back of a police crackdown.
"It's a minor imposition that helps protect the community of South Australia," Commissioner Stevens said. "We are expecting the community to comply with that.
Commissioner Stevens also "strongly recommended" people wear masks in public, at indoor gatherings and on public transport.
"We want people to do the right thing – wear masks when we are instructing you to do so."
"It's a very strong recommendation but not mandatory at this time.
"But we will continue to monitor that . . .we can change our mind at any time on that."
Join the conversation
‘Wow’: Festival Plaza rapist’s appalling reaction to jail sentence
A violent rapist mouthed “wow” to his supporters as he was led away to begin a jail sentence for a horrific CBD attack on a woman he promised would be safe.
Read more
Sydney doesn’t know what’s hit it as Charlie slips under the radar
If Charlie Dixon can slip under the radar of the Swans’ defence like he did to Sydneysiders in Pitt Street Mall, the Power could go a long way to winning.
Read more