No new COVID-19 cases in SA, as lockdown begins

One day after putting the entire state under a six-day lockdown, South Australia has recorded no new coronavirus infections.

SA records new infections on its first day of lockdown. Picture Emma Brasier

On the state’s first day of lockdown, South Australia has recorded no new COVID-19 infections.

Premier Steven Marshall asked South Australians for full cooperation over the lockdown.

“We have woken up to a very different SA today and my message to everyone at home is while we may be socially distant, we’ve never been more united. What we do in the next six days will determine if we tear down the treat of COVID-19,” he said.

“The record testing rates will end critical to reign in this virus. Over 20,000 SA have been tested in the last 48 hours.

“The restrictions in place will be challenging for many South Australians. As a community we’ve already endured social and economic hardship since the begging of the virus at the beginning of the year … but we can and must follow excellent health advice to keep SA safe and strong.”

SA’s Chief Public Health Officer Nicola Spurrier seen wearing a mask during a COVID announcement. Picture: NCA NewsWire / David Mariuz

SA Health’s Chief Public Health Officer Professor Nicola Spurrier said there were areas of “real concern” in SA and authorities needed to find everyone who presented at those places to stay in quarantine and get tested.

The locations are:

• The Woodville Pizza Bar
• The Lyell McEwin Hospital emergency department
• Eblen Collision Repairs
• Morphett Arms Hotel
• The Mint Leaf Lounge
• Funk Coffee at Port Adelaide
• Spotlight at Gepps Cross

“That (quarantining and getting tested) is the most important thing you can do now in SA. That’s the reason we have this six-day pause so we don’t have multiple contacts throughout the community,” Professor Spurrier said.

“We have the potential to stop this going any further.”

The state’s total number of cases remains at 551 with 35 considered active.

There remains 23 people linked to the Parafield cluster.

The cluster — which had its first cases contract the virus from a quarantine hotel — caused concern for authorities, sparking the six-day lockdown that began on Thursday.

There are very few reasons a person can leave their home during the lockdown, including going grocery shopping — which also has limitations — and essential workers doing their jobs.

South Australia Police have released more information on the Stay At Home Direction which is in place until 12:01am on...

Posted by Steven Marshall on Wednesday, November 18, 2020

Professor Spurrier said the strain of COVID-19 involved could spread from person to person within three days.

She said a six day lockdown gave her team time to chase the next two generations of the virus.

“My team have been working around the clock to get everybody followed up to about the fourth generation,” she told ABC Radio.

“That was a day or two ago and we know the fifth generation could be out there so we’re working to a really tight timeline to make all the phone calls and get people into quarantine.”

Thousands of people lined up to get tested at COVID-19 clinics across Adelaide over the past three days. Picture Emma Brasier

There were only two new infections recorded on Wednesday, both linked to the Parafield cluster.

There have been more than 605,000 tests conducted across SA so far.

Thousands of people braved long wait times to be tested at sites across the state for the past three days. Some waited up to 10 hours or longer.