South Australia will enter a total lockdown for the next six days as authorities look to curb a potential second wave of COVID-19.
The state government has announced a series of new restrictions to come into effect across the state from 11.59pm on Wednesday.
“No effort is being spared to stamp out this virus in our state. We are going hard and we are going early,” Premier Steven Marshall told reporters on Wednesday.
The strict new rules will see exercise banned outside the home, masks mandatory in public, non-essential businesses shut down and only one person per household permitted to shop for groceries.
Universities, pubs, cafes and food courts will be at a standstill, and schools will be closed to everyone but vulnerable children, and children of essential workers.
Regional travel, weddings and funerals will be banned, and aged care and disability residential care will go into lockdown.
What is closing from 11:59pm on Wednesday for six days:
• All universities and schools, except for children of essential workers
• Pubs, cafes, food courts and coffee shops
• Takeaway food
• Elective surgery, except for cancer treatment and urgent operations
• Open inspections and auctions
• All outdoor sport and physical activity
• Construction industry
• All factories other than food and medical products
• Weddings and funerals will be banned
Other restrictions that will come into effect:
• Exercise will not be permitted outside of the home
• Masks must be worn in all areas outside the home
• Only one person will be allowed to leave the home to purchase groceries
• FIFO work will be stopped for six days
• Regional travel will be banned
• Aged care and disability centres will be placed into lockdown
• Holiday homes will not be available for lease or rent
What will remain open?
Supermarkets, medical centres, petrol stations and public transport will remain open.
Essential government services, veterinary surgeries and end-of-life visits will also be permitted to operate.
Chief Public Health Officer Professor Nicola Spurrier advised South Australians to think carefully about their movements over the next six days.
“You need to be thinking about where you are going to be for the next six days, where would be the most convenient for you, where you can look after your loved ones. Make those decisions now,” she said.
“If you have grandparents that are elderly and are going to require some care, then my suggestion is you try to make some arrangements for you or somebody else to be able to provide that care.”
She explained that the six-day lockdown period was a “circuit breaker”, but noted some restrictions would likely remain in place for eight more days after that.
“The initial period is six days. I would call it a circuit breaker. It really is extreme and then, after that, we need 14 days in total in terms of the incubation period of the virus and the number of generations.
“So we will have to sit down and mathematically work it out. For a 14-day period there will be significant restrictions.”
Two new cases of the virus in South Australia were announced on Wednesday, both of which were linked to the Parafield cluster.
There are now 22 cases directly linked to the cluster, and a further seven suspected cases.
The cluster grew after a cleaner at an Adelaide medi-hotel caught the virus from an infected surface and spread it to her family.
Health authorities discovered the cluster on Friday night after the cleaner’s elderly mother tested positive in hospital on Friday night.
Professor Spurrier said this particular strain of COVID-19 is breeding “very, very rapidly”, with infected people showing few symptoms.
People in Australia must stay at least 1.5 metres away from others. Check your jurisdiction’s restrictions on gathering limits.
If you are experiencing cold or flu symptoms, stay home and arrange a test by calling your doctor or contact the Coronavirus Health Information Hotline on 1800 020 080. News and information is available in 63 languages at https://sbs.com.au/coronavirus
Please check the relevant guidelines for your state or territory: NSW,Victoria, Queensland, Western Australia, South Australia, Northern Territory, ACT, Tasmania.
