Man who sparked high-risk COVID-19 alert was not under quarantine, SA Health says, as Prof Spurrier apologises

SA’s top health official has publicly apologised to an infectious man whose shopping trip sparked a series of high-risk COVID alerts.

The state’s COVID-19 health chief has publicly apologised for wrongly accusing a foreign student of breaking coronavirus quarantine rules to go on an Adelaide shopping spree.

Capping a day of widespread confusion, chief public health officer Professor Nicola Spurrier last night said an urgent internal SA Health review found the man, aged in his 30s, was “never directed to quarantine”. She also personally apologised to him.

“He has not breached quarantine and he has been fully co-operative with our contact tracing efforts, which are aimed at stopping the spread of the virus any further,” Prof Spurrier said.

“I would personally like to apologise for this miscommunication and thank him for continuing to work with us.”

Her apology came a day after she expressed concerns the man, a student at the southern suburbs-based Intensive English Language Institute (IELI), broke COVID quarantine hours after the three-day statewide lockdown was lifted.

There were no new cases in SA Monday, leaving the Parafield cluster tally at 33 patients and more than 1300 contacts in quarantine.

Authorities urged higher rates of testing after 4234 tests occurred on Sunday, which was significantly below record levels days earlier.

The infectious shopper, who is not believed to be an Uber driver or courier, covered swathes of Adelaide’s east, southwest and western suburbs on Sunday, November 22, sparking urgent SA Health warnings about four high-risk locations he visited.

“It has, quite frankly, posed a very significant risk for us. So, I’m disappointed about it,” Prof Spurrier said publicly on Sunday afternoon.

But it emerged that he received no legal orders, or SA Health communication, to remain in isolation.

The man, who attended the institute with another infectious IELI student more than a fortnight ago, had tested negative but adhered to instructions to remain indoors while awaiting virus tests results. After his initial test was negative and the state lockdown was lifted, he went shopping. An IELI staffer, aged in his 40s, has also tested positive.

SA chief public health officer Professor Nicola Spurrier, centre, with health minister Stephen Wade and SA Police Commissioner Grant Stevens at a press conference. Picture: Kelly Barnes/Getty

Public health assessments concluded the shopper was quite far removed from the first infectious student and was only classed a “casual contact”, who only needed to test and monitor symptoms.

He did not need to quarantine but was linked to the state’s worst cluster.

People considered a close contact must get tested and quarantine for the full 14 days.

He tested positive to the day-12 test, but in the interim had been moving around the community.

Five hours after her deputy, Dr Emily Kirkpatrick, revealed the man was given no direction from authorities to remain in quarantine, Prof Spurrier issued a statement apologising to him.

She also rang the man, who was in a stable condition last night in the Pullman Hotel, Hindmarsh Square, as scores of other students and staff were being shifted into medi-hotels.

“To clarify, and after reviewing Communicable Disease Control Branch (CDCB) processes, as a casual contact this individual was never directed to quarantine by SA Health or (police) and therefore has done nothing wrong,” she said in her a statement.

She said he received CDCB communication via the institute, located at Flinders University’s Sturt campus, Bedford Park, “in which he was advised to get tested and isolate, which he did straight away”.

She also said there had been “no further communication” from the department after a first negative test result.

SA deputy chief public health officer Dr Emily Kirkpatrick speaks to the media. Picture: Tait Schmaal

Speaking earlier Monday at the Detmold mask factory, Brompton, along with Premier Steven Marshall, Dr Kirkpatrick said it “is quite confusing, the messages that have come out”.

“Because it is really clear that this person did get tested on day one and 12, has done the right thing, has assumed they can go out and about shopping and go about their normal business when they were symptom free,” she said.

Dr Kirkpatrick also urged ill people to get tested, even for mild symptoms, and to wear masks if not able to adhere to social distancing.

Prof Spurrier was not at the Detmold event due to an Australian Health Protection Principal Committee meeting of the country’s health chiefs.

Police Commissioner Grant Stevens said the man “had not done anything wrong”.

“They were a casual contact ... he was not required to quarantine,” he said. “There is nothing for police in this.”

Flinders University’s Professor Clare Pollock said anyone visiting the wider Sturt campus at the relevant high-risk times should have a COVID-19 test.

Dozens of guests at Peppers hotel were released from quarantine on Monday, some after 28 days in the medi-hotel.

Apple users face a slight delay on Tuesday to access the QR code from the App Store as it “finalises its requirements”, according to SA Health.

Premier Steven Marshall has his temperature checked at a press conference at SA mask maker Detmold on Monday. Picture: Tait Schmaal

On Sunday, SA chief public health officer Professor Nicola Spurrier said the man was in quarantine when he went on a shopping spree, leading to urgent requests for some people to get tested.

But on Monday, SA Health revealed he had not been formally required to quarantine because he was considered a casual contact of an infected case and not a close contact.

SA Health deputy chief public health officer Dr Emily Kirkpatrick said the man “did the right thing, got tested on day one and 12” and went shopping when the lockdown was lifted – between the two tests.

“It is quite confusing, the messages that have come out,” she admitted.

Prof Spurrier later on Monday confirmed the man “was never directed to quarantine by SA Health or SAPOL and therefore has done nothing wrong”.

“There was no further communication from SA Health with this individual following his negative test result.

“He has not breached quarantine and he has been fully cooperative with our contact tracing efforts.

“I would personally like to apologise for this miscommunication and thank him for continuing to work with us.”

Originally published as Man who sparked high-risk COVID-19 alert was not under quarantine, SA Health says, as Prof Spurrier apologises