Details of SA’s Covid reopening road map, including quarantine rules revealed

New rules mean those exposed to Covid will be the subject of a matrix with almost 30 scenarios – yet it’s still not clear what will happen in some settings, such as shopping centres.

South Australians will have to consult a complex matrix of nearly 30 scenarios to work out if they have to isolate when they come into contact with someone who has Covid.

Premier Steven Marshall on Monday released a new roadmap on how the state will manage community transmission once the state opens its border to NSW, Victoria and the ACT from November 23.

The roadmap sets out different rules for vaccinated and unvaccinated people, as Mr Marshall and chief public health officer Nicola Spurrier made a last-ditch plea for people to get the jab before new virus cases enter the state.

The complicated set of diagrams outlining the rules has received mixed reviews and has been compared with former Labor leader Kim Beazley’s “Noodle Nation” graphic, which tried to explain his party’s education policy in the lead-up to the 2001 federal election.

Business leaders who have been pleading for a jab mandated by the state said the plan was a “red tape nightmare”.

Under Mr Marshall’s plan, vaccinated people who are a close contact of a Covid-19 case will only have to quarantine for seven days. But that doubles to 14 days for unvaccinated people in the same situation.

Stopping short of backing mandatory vaccination, Professor Spurrier warned businesses faced being shut down if workers were unvaccinated.

WATCH THE REPLAY OF MONDAY’S PRESS CONFERENCE BELOW

Premier Steven Marshall speaking at the press conference on Monday. Picture: Keryn Stevens

Mr Marshall said there were no contingency plans at this stage to provide taxpayer-funded help for either businesses forced to close or people required to quarantine.

Firms will need to provide spreadsheets to SA Health to “manage risk”.

Contact tracers will then decide whether to shut a business down, or if cleaning can’t occur immediately or if there are insufficient staff.

Under the new categories (see below) a person deemed low-risk – who has been at an exposure site for less than 15 minutes – will not be required to quarantine or get a Covid test.

As foreshadowed by The Advertiser, this has been introduced to ensure compliance with QR codes.

Their risk is based on their vaccination status, use of masks, whether they are indoors or outdoors, as well as the nature of exposure, such as singing.

A vaccinated close contact is someone who has at least 15 minutes face-to-face contact with a case and there is “a reasonable risk of transmission”.

“This will include household contacts, extensive social interaction with a case or being present at a high-risk setting,” the document states.

Children aged under 12 whose parents are vaccinated are considered protected and do not need to quarantine but only have a Covid test on days 1 and 6.

Details on what happens to schools in an outbreak will be announced later as will details on high risk settings and essential infrastructure.

Under the new rules, which Police Commissioner Grant Stevens has authorised as state co-ordinator, a casual contact must have a minimum three tests, must quarantine until their first negative result and seek checks immediately if any flu-like symptoms develop.

They must also wear a surgical mask at all times for a fortnight, to avoid contact with vulnerable people such as the elderly, pregnant women or young children. They must also avoid non-essential activities “where possible”, maintain physical distancing and must not go to “shared spaces”. new contact tracing rules.

Mr Marshall said the “big changes, important changes” would see the state shift towards a more “bespoke, tailored” approach.

“You will recall, in the past, we’ve had to take a pretty heavy-handed approach … because a single case could set off a cluster, which would lock down our state,” he told reporters.

“We will be very, very significantly reducing the test, trace isolate and quarantine requirements.”

He said masks will stay for “a long time” in high risk settings such as health and aged care or with contact to vulnerable people but final modelling will help write new rules.

Mr Marshall said there would be some inspections on the border but “nothing like what we had before”.

A “pre-register” system is being created ahead of border reopening but is not yet ready.

“If you think about it, going back three, four five months ago, a single case could have set off an entire cluster and locked down the state,” he said.

“That’s no longer the risk, and so, of course, police resources will be better utilised in other areas, but the strong message is that you could be stopped, you could be inspected and if you’ve done the wrong thing, there will be consequences.”

Questioned about what will happen if a business becomes an exposure site, Mr Marshall said health authorities would work on a case-by-case basis.

He said there would be a period where advice on how to deal with the exposure would need to be sought from the Communicable Diseases Control Branch.

“The good news is that the requirements that would put essentially all customers, all staff (in isolation), business requiring a deep clean, will not be the same going forward,” he said.

“It’s a more nuanced approach, a more bespoke approach, a more tailored approach to reduce the requirements on the businesses or the individuals but, at the same time, still keeping protection for our state.”

Professor Spurrier warned businesses about the consequences of unvaccinated workers

“There is a choice. I always think that when we have choice in our society … it’s more empowering and from a public health viewpoint in terms of vaccination, persuasion is often better than coercion,” she said.

“I’m not sure as a society, South Australia would be that comfortable having a heavy-handed mandated vaccination for large numbers of our population.

“I just think we all as a community need to support everybody to get vaccinated, but we need to do it in a way that’s respectful of people’s views and also appreciate that sometimes the reason people haven’t been vaccinated is they’re scared.

Professor Nicola Spurrier addresses the Monday press conference. Picture: Keryn Stevens

“They’re just simply fearful. And it’s taking them a bit longer to make a decision on that point.

“I suspect when we start getting cases in our state, people will push them they’ll be more frightened of getting Covid than having the vaccine and that’s really what I’m hoping.”

She said they need to re-establish their “business continuity ” plans, to avoid closure and contemplate “A and B teams”.

She could not provide details on what would require businesses to close but said due to Delta being aerosol transmitted this meant deep cleaning was no longer required.

“We have to be changing the cleaning protocols for businesses … and I think it’s very reassuring that it is just the standard clean,” she said.

“However, a standard cleaning is not just a spit and polish, it’s actually a proper clean.

“But it doesn’t have to be that level of deep clean that some businesses have undertaken in the past. And hopefully that will reduce the impact on the business.”

Mr Stevens echoed the Premier by saying he had confidence in people using QR codes.

“It’s important for businesses, if they want to maintain continuity, it is to ensure that they are reminding people of their obligations,” he said.

He said there would be random border checks and on those in quarantine but said police would prefer education over enforcement.

‘We won’t be changing our approach. Right throughout 2020 and 2021, we’ve been working with the community providing support providing advice,” he said.

“Some of that advice has been quite firm advice, but we’ve seen generally a high level of acceptance of that approach.

“We have taken action against people who have blatantly disregard the directions. So we’re not going to change our position on that.

“If people are trying to do the right thing, they’ll be supported by the South Australian police and SA Health but if they’re ignoring the rules, then they may face consequences.”

BUSINESSES REACT: CLEAR AS MUD

Australian Hotels Association SA general manager Ian Horne, said the plans were complex.

“The complexity of what is being proposed here – it is the detail we have to get our head around,” he said. “The devil is in the detail.”

Simone Douglas, spokeswoman for the Hospo Owners Collective, which represents dozens of licensed venues, said it was “red tape nightmare”.

“Our just in case state turns into the roller coaster of what ifs for business at large,” she said.

(We are) governed by people out of touch, making decisions that cost livelihoods, destroy families and lives.”

Businesses are ready for the new plan: Hannah Haynes, Ella Townsend and Holly Inglis at The Basin Haircutters in Goodwood. Picture: Matt Loxton

But Property Council of Australia SA executive director, Daniel Gannon, said it was an important plan that was a step closer to a return to normality.

“This is a sensible next step that will keep the doors of businesses open, hard hats and steel caps on construction workers, while also allowing people to be reunited with family and friends,” he said.

Business SA chief executive Martin Haese “enthusiastically” welcomed a promise to end statewide lockdowns but repeated calls for government mandatory vaccination policy.

“In the absence of this mandate, we strongly encourage all employers to start conversations today with their staff to determine who is/is not vaccinated,” he said.

“You need to start your contingency planning now.”

Goodwood-based hairdresser Stephen Arrizza, 52, said the plan gave some certainty but he was disappointed to stay on “eggshells” wondering if his salon with 26 vaccinated staff would be shut.

“My wages bill for a fortnight is more than $36,000, so it doesn’t take long to go backwards,” he said.

Originally published as Details of SA’s Covid reopening road map, including quarantine rules revealed