Premier Peter Malinauskas addressed the South Australian public tonight, ahead of the long weekend with the latest information regarding COVID-19 restrictions in SA.
This evening there was an emergency management council cabinet meeting to discuss the close contact arrangements that apply here in South Australia, as case numbers continue to present as anticipated with the current modelling.
He said that there have been substantial changes to close contact rules that are currently in place, which will come into effect a week from today.
Amending close contact rules will keep South Australia in line with changes to restrictions in New South Wales, Victoria and Queensland and maintain the State Government’s objective of national consistency.
Malinauskas went on to say that quarantine for close contacts has been abolished. You will no longer be required to isolate for the 7 day period, subject to some basic checks which will be in place.
However, given that close contacts are at higher risk of developing COVID-19, the following rules will be in place from 12.01am on Saturday, April 30, for close contacts and will apply for a period of 7-days following the close contact’s exposure:
- Undertake 5 Rapid Antigen Tests during the 7-day period
- Wear masks when leaving the house
- Prohibited from high-risk settings
- Notify employers and educational facilities of their close contact status
Close contacts should also:
- Avoid non-essential gatherings
- Avoid contact with people at risk of severe illness
Changes to school masks will be made on Tuesday.
Peter Malinauskas then said “This will be a big relief for small business owners and workers across the state – the whole team responsible for COVID management in our state is very conscious of the fact that there are small business owners that can’t get access to staff when they need them, there are workers who aren’t able to work – despite being perfectly healthy. Particularly those who are casual employees or in precarious work that don’t have access to sick leave and are reliant on income to put food on the table.”
He went on to say that they’ve made the effective date in a week to ensure that hospitals continue to cope with the current load.
He also said that people should go and get the third dose, to help protect the community, and allow easing of restrictions like this to happen.
If a close contact develops symptoms, they are required to undertake a PCR test and isolate until they receive a result.
People who test positive to COVID will still be required to quarantine for seven days, as per existing rules.
Introducing this change on April 30 means it will be two weeks following the removal of mask mandates across South Australia.
If you are in quarantine already, when the rules come into place, you simply need to do a negative rapid antigen test to leave isolation on Saturday morning (at 12:01am on the 29th of April 2022).
Professor Nicola Spurrier then spoke, saying that she recommend close contacts to work from home, if at all possible. This virus is very infections and we still need to take precautions. Within a household, there’s a 40% chance you’ll catch the disease from other positive household members. This is why it’s important to undertake 5 rapid antigen tests during the 7-day period.
Close contacts should avoid non-essential gatherings, and other people if at all possible.
If you have symptoms as a close contact, you need to go and get a PCR, and isolate immediately. If you test positive, you’ll need to isolate for 7 days.
If you have any COVID-19 symptoms, no matter how mild, please seek testing as soon as possible.
Find your nearest testing site at www.sahealth.sa.gov.au/COVIDtesting.
For more information visit https://www.covid-19.sa.gov.au/ or call the SA COVID-19 Information Line on 1800 253 787
If you are a close contact, register for your FREE rapid antigen tests here.
More News
