SA to go into lockdown as Covid crisis escalates, income support measures considered

SA’s seven-day lockdown will see schools close but some essential businesses remain open. Here’s the latest on education, exemptions and potential income support.

South Australia will go into lockdown from 6pm because of the ballooning number of Covid-19 exposure sites and detection of a fourth and fifth positive case linked to the latest outbreak.

The escalation from tough restrictions imposed from midnight comes to stem a rapid escalation of the highly infectious Delta strain.

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The snap seven-day lockdown from 6pm tonight means SA moves from level four restrictions to level five – the latter includes a stay-at-home requirement, closure of community activities and masks for public places.

Schools will close from tomorrow and move to online learning but will not close early on Tuesday.

Public schools will treat Wednesday as a pupil-free day, giving staff the time to prepare for online instruction from Thursday but schools already prepared may transition to online lessons earlier.

School buses and taxis will continue to operate normally on Tuesday and throughout the lockdown.

Skeleton staff will be on site at schools and preschools to look after vulnerable students who need to attend school, and for children of essential workers.

Restrictions imposed from midnight already include the closure of non-essential retail, outdoor dining only and masks for shared indoor spaces.

An 81-year-old man and his daughter tested positive to Covid-19 – with authorities treating it as the highly infectious Delta strain.

Five cases are now linked to the Modbury cluster, including a man in his 50s who is a close contact of the 81-year-old man and is also a staffer at Tea Tree Gully Council – which closed its facilities on Tuesday.

Premier Steven Marshall has spoken with Prime Minister Scott Morrison this morning and briefed him on the rapidly developing situation in SA.

SA Police Commissioner Grant Stevens speaks to the media at a Covid-19 update. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Kelly Barnes

Both he and Police Commissioner Grant Stevens, also the state co-ordinator during the Covid-19 pandemic, have expressed concern about the risks illustrated by the emergence of a fourth positive case linked to the outbreak.

The argument for the lockdown is that the results of not locking down early enough are being felt across Australia, because of NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian’s delay in imposing tough restrictions on Sydney to suppress the virus.

Mr Marshall might be following the path of Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews, who on July 14 announced the return of mandatory mask rules for all indoor settings, in response to 11 local infections linked to the NSW outbreak. The day after, on July 15, Victoria was plunged into its fifth lockdown.

Mr Andrews struck a deal with Mr Morrison for financial support for Victorian workers during the lockdown, which initially was set at five days.

The federal government will now also provide income support through a Covid-19 disaster payment to SA, after declaring Covid hotspots for SA:

A Commonwealth hotspot has been declared by the Commonwealth Chief Medical Officer.

INCOME support will be provided for those who live or work in that hotspot, funded by the federal government. Income support for those living outside the hotspot will be funded by the state government.

PEOPLE will be eligible for the Covid-19 Disaster Payment if they have lost between eight and less than 20 hours of work for a payment of $375, and for 20 or more hours of work for a payment of $600, during the period of the lockdown. There will be no liquid assets test applied to eligibility for these payments.

A COMMITMENT for significant economic support must be made by the state government for the same lockdown period, to ensure cost sharing with the federal government.

Originally published as SA to go into lockdown as Covid crisis escalates, income support measures considered