New details on shopping COVID patient as urgent warning issued for people who visited four hot spots to get tested

It’s been revealed why a man who was infectious went shopping, sparking an urgent warning for anyone who visited three shops and a uni campus.

A man who went on a three-hour shopping frenzy while infectious, sparking an urgent call for hundreds to get tested, did so after a “misunderstanding”, it’s been revealed.

Australian Medical Association vice president Dr Chris Moy told the Today show on Monday morning that the man had been sent a message to quarantine for 14 days after he was identified as a casual contact of a student who tested positive at the Intensive English Language Institute, on the Flinders University Sturt campus.

He was tested and initially returned a negative result.

He then wrongly thought it was OK to go out before his 14-day quarantine period ended when the state lifted its lockdown, Dr Moy said.

“He had a negative test which … gave some level of assurance. He misunderstood and went out shopping when the lockdown ended,” Dr Moy said.

“There was a misunderstanding because later he (tested) positive (after) developing symptoms.”

On Monday, SA Health said the man did not breach quarantine because he had never been formally required to do so.

Dr Moy said the 30-year-old man did the right thing when he did begin to develop symptoms and then tested positive but there were concerns given he went out while potentially infectious.

When questioned about how many people have been exposed due to the man’s movements, Dr Moy said it was hard to determine.

“It’s likely he didn’t have symptoms on the day. It (day he went out shopping) was probably on the day before, maybe getting infectious. That’s the problem,” he said.

“I’m reasonably worried. The lesson is that one person can make a big difference.”

The infectious shopper covered swathes of Adelaide’s east and west on Sunday, November 22 – the day SA came out of its three-day lockdown.

People line up at at a new testing staton at Thebarton Community Centre on Monday. Picture: Tait Schmaal

People line up for a COVID check at a pop-up testing clinic at Kurralta Park on Sunday. Picture Dean Martin

SA chief public health officer Professor Nicola Spurrier asked everyone to be vigilant.

“This is actually really critical at the moment for us in SA to try and get rid of this COVID-19 incursion into our community,” she said.

“It has, quite frankly, posed a very significant risk for us.”

Between 12.15pm and 3.30pm on the day of the breach, the man in his 30s visited Big W Brickworks, at ­Torrensville, followed by Foodland at Norwood, Kmart at Kurralta Park, On the Run at Hilton, Anaconda, Mile End, Guzman y Gomez, Glandore, and Boost Juice, Glenelg.

SA Health has put the ­locations into two lists – one where the man spent 10 minutes or less, and those where he stayed longer.

People who shopped at the same time as the man have been urged to get tested immediately and to isolate themselves until they return a negative result.

If they were at the places he briefly visited, they do not need to isolate but have been advised to get tested if symptoms occur.

Pop-up testing stations were established on Sunday afternoon at the Brickworks site and at Kurralta Park.

The pop-up testing site at Kurralta Park. Picture: Dean Martin

Also on the list of high-risk places is the Flinders University Sturt campus, at Bedford Park, for anyone who had been there between November 13 and 28.

The man had been ordered into quarantine on November 17 because he was a casual contact of someone who had contracted COVID-19.

Both were students at the Intensive English Language Institute on the Sturt campus but were in different classes.

The man in his 30s returned a negative result at the beginning of his quarantine.

On Saturday, SA Health announced he had since tested positive but there was no risk because he had been in home quarantine.

Soon after, the man confessed to authorities about his big day out.

Prof Spurrier said she was disappointed the man had breached his quarantine. She stressed that people whose initial test was negative needed to remain in quarantine until they had returned a second negative test at the end of the two weeks.

“What I am actually ­grateful for is that they were forthcoming with this information,” she said of the man telling authorities about his shopping trips.

“There are certainly quite steep penalties for breaking quarantine but the decision to do that enforcement is over to the police.”

Breaching quarantine can result in a $1000 on-the-spot fine.

Prof Spurrier said an unknown number of people had been put at risk by the breach but it could be quite large.

Investigators will ask retailers for credit card and loyalty program information to help identify customers who need to be contacted.

SA chief public health officer Professor Nicola Spurrier. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Naomi Jellicoe

Prof Spurrier urged anyone hosting a private function to stay up to date on locations of risk. “Ask everybody who’s ­attending, all your invitees, have they been to any of those locations,” she said.

“What you don’t want is somebody who’s potentially infectious with this virus, and people have had very minimal symptoms in many cases, coming into a private gathering ... to have that being spread around that group of guests.”

Three people have tested positive at the language institute, all of whom are traceable to the Parafield cluster.

Originally, the first case in the institute and 16 classmates, classified as close contacts, had been quarantined in medi-hotels.

A similar number who had been classified as casual contacts, because they were in a different classroom, had been ordered to quarantine at home.

However, SA Health on Sunday night widened the net and took about 30 more people linked to the institute from their homes to medi-hotels.

Prof Spurrier was unable to guarantee that the December 1 easing of restrictions would go ahead as scheduled on Tuesday. “I’m monitoring everything on a daily basis,” she said.

“If we could see the testing increase, I would be feeling a lot more confident.

“If we don’t have that testing rate up and that I could feel confident that everybody with symptoms, particularly people who have been to these locations are getting tested, then I can’t feel confident that we’re on top of things.”

A State Government spokeswoman said SA Police was working with SA Health to examine the details of the quarantine breach.

Although Prof Spurrier was unsure how it would affect the easing of restrictions, the spokeswoman said: “We do not want any restriction in place for one day longer than we need to, and we remain on track to further ease restrictions on December 1.”

Originally published as New details on shopping COVID patient as urgent warning issued for people who visited four hot spots to get tested