South Australia has recorded five new COVID-19 cases, including four linked to the cluster in north Adelaide, as health authorities urged people in the state to get tested.
Providing an update on Tuesday afternoon, Chief Public Health Officer Nicola Spurrier said there were 21 cases of the virus now linked to the cluster. A further 14 “suspected cases”, brought the state’s total to 35 active infections.
One case is associated with the Brompton Anglicare aged care facility, and is now in quarantine in a medi-hotel.
Three cases are family members of one of the security guards associated with the medi-hotel.
Dr Spurrier noted another case was only just reported and remains under additional investigation.
There are now 4,000 people in quarantine as close contacts of known cases.
“I really want to stress this is early, early days in this cluster,” Dr Spurrier said. “Please heed the fact that we need to be more restrictive in South Australia.”
She also stressed that anyone who was at the Aquadome swimming centre in Elizabeth between 11am and 1.30pm on 14 November to quarantine for 14 days and get tested immediately, saying the exposure was “more significant” there.
“We think that the exposure was more significant and we want those people to get into quarantine immediately, and get tested. Now, obviously we will be chasing up with the Aquadome to see if we can get direct contact details.
“This is an early warning. Anybody there with their family and children on Saturday, between those times, get yourselves into quarantine until further notice and get tested.
Asked whether cases were expected to rise significantly, she said it was “too early to tell”.
“What all South Australians can do is to be patient, go to get tested with symptoms, and try to reduce their contacts.”
Asked how the virus spread in the first place, Premier Steven Marshall said it was likely transferred from a patient in hotel quarantine to a staff member via touching an infected surface.
“It’s very likely they did contract this disease through a surface transmission. We think that’s the case,” he said.
“Obviously our number one priority at the moment is just working as quickly as we can to get on top of this disease. Every single case that we have has an investigation. This one will have a very special investigation because we want to get to the origins of this. Most of our transmissions have been through aerosol droplets or physical contact.”
“We are very concerned about surface transmission,” he added. “We read about this. We have seen it in other jurisdictions. But this is probably the first confirmed case that we’ve had in South Australia. But it’s quite possible there’s been other cases in the past, but we’ll be looking very carefully at this case.”
Hotel guests forced to restart quarantine
Some South Australian hotel guests are being forced to extend their quarantine period beyond 14 days, as four new cases of COVID-19 were confirmed in the state today.
Guests staying at Adelaide’s Peppers Hotel received a letter under their door from state government officials being told they would be transferred to a new location over the next 24 hours.
“We understand that there are guests whose quarantine period is due to end, however to ensure your safety and to minimise the Public Health risk, this time will be extended, which may be up to 14 days,” the letter said.
“We sincerely apologise for any distress or inconvenience this may cause.”
SA Health confirmed the move in a statement to SBS News.
“Following a risk assessment of the Peppers Hotel, the Communicable Disease Control Branch has determined the quarantine period of all guests in the hotel needs to be extended by up to 14 days,” it said.
“We understand the frustration of the guests and we thank them for their assistance as we take every required step to prioritise the health and safety of all South Australians.
“We phoned guests before providing written information to them about the move, and additional information will be provided once more details are confirmed.
“The facility will be thoroughly deep cleaned to continue as a medi-hotel in the future.”
Guests will not incur additional fees for their extended quarantine.
Huge testing queues and panic-buying over Adelaide cluster
South Australians have turned out in big numbers to be tested for coronavirus amid fears of a second wave of infections.
Shelves have been stripped bare at some supermarkets in Adelaide, while residents are waiting several hours to get tested.
Pictures shared on social media show aisles stripped of essential items, including toilet paper, in suburbs including Golden Grove, Glenelg and Dernancourt.
In a statement, Coles said it was implementing purchase limits on toilet paper in South Australia, in response to the panic buying.
With thousands of people coming forward to be tested, there are reportedly wait times of up to 11 hours, with people sitting in their cars at drive-through centres since 4am on Tuesday morning.
SA Health said wait times “vary across different sites”.
“We are dealing with record numbers of people seeking testing and we’re working hard to extend operating hours and capacity at our COVID testing sites.”
Dr Spurrier said the lengthy wait for testing was at the “forefront of her mind today”, adding that a team of officials are “working on” reducing that wait time.
Steven Marshall praises South Australia’s response
Prior to Mr Hunt’s announcement, Mr Marshall announced one new case of COVID-19 recorded overnight.
He said it was a good result, praising the state’s contact tracing teams and the public for coming forward to get tested.
“If we reflect on the last 24 hours, today there’s just been the one new infection despite the fact that we have essentially done the contact tracing for the people that are infected,” Mr Marshall told ABC Radio Adelaide on Tuesday morning.
“We’ve put … hundreds and hundreds of people in isolation, subjected them to a test, and at this stage, just one new infection.”
WA premier Mark McGowan praised Mr Marshall for his decision to reimpose restrictions, while criticising the federal government’s treatment of the Victorian government as “appalling” during its own coronavirus crisis.
“The fact that they undermined, criticised, attacked the whole way along during a period of extreme pressure was appalling,” Mr McGowan told reporters. “Steven Marshall has done the right thing and I support him in what he is doing. I would urge everyone to support him in what he is doing.”
Meanwhile, some South Australians quarantining in Tasmania could be let out in coming days, but the state will remain considered a “medium risk”.
More than 1,200 people from SA are undertaking quarantine on the island state after the cluster was discovered.
Tasmanian Premier Peter Gutwein said the SA situation was looking “increasingly favourable” and there was hope some could return to normal activities on Wednesday.
“As we gain more information on the … circumstances we will be able to better inform ourselves of the next steps to take,” he said.
Tuesday’s new case was from an aged care home in Brompton, which is managed by Anglicare South Australia.
In a media release put out on Tuesday, the facility noted one further employee had tested positive to the virus.
The facility initially said two employees had tested positive on Tuesday, but later clarified one additional case was not confirmed.
“Test results for another employee are being reviewed following a potential false-positive result. Contact tracing for these two employees is underway,” the centre said in a statement.
“All residents have been tested and all have returned negative test results. They will be retested at 72 hours and day 12.”
A total of five schools have been closed for deep cleaning, including Mawson Lakes School and Preschool and Thomas More College yesterday, and Mt Carmel College, Holy Family Catholic School and Roma Mitchell Secondary College today.
Australia’s deputy chief medical officer Michael Kidd said the next 24 to 48 hours would be critical.
“Health authorities in South Australia are doing a terrific job, identifying people who may have been in contact with someone who’s been diagnosed with COVID-19, arranging to get people tested, arranging for people to go into isolation while they’re waiting for their results,” he told the ABC on Tuesday.
“And a big thank you to everybody in Adelaide who were queuing up to get tested yesterday, and I’m sure there will be queues today for people waiting to get tested for COVID-19.”
Chief public health officer Professor Nicola Spurrier said there over 3000 people have been tested in the past 24 hours.
“It’s early days in this cluster but what we can say is we think this is an early pickup,” she said on Tuesday morning.
She also said the test results revealed there had not been widespread community transmission.
“What I want people to do is continue to get tested if they wake up with a sore throat or runny nose.”
“What we want people to do is monitor for symptoms…. even if it’s just a sniffle don’t think ‘Oh it’s just hayfever’ go and get tested.
At midnight on Tuesday, South Australia imposed a series of social distancing restrictions.
Dr Spurrier said the coming days would determine the length of the restrictions.
“If there’s been significant spread it will have to go on for longer,” she said.
The cluster could derail national plans to open state borders before Christmas.
All states except Western Australia have committed to easing restrictions by 25 December.
But Queensland, the Northern Territory, Tasmania and WA have now slammed the gates shut on South Australia.
SBS News has contacted SA Health for comment.
Additional reporting by AAP.
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