South Australia’s Chief Public Health Officer, Professor Nicola Spurrier, has announced this morning that all incoming international flights to Adelaide are likely to be suspended this week. This comes amidst growing concern over a large community outbreak of COVID-19 in Adelaide.
“We have cancelled one flight today,” Spurrier announced this morning, “and have flagged with the Commonwealth that we’re unlikely to take any incoming flights this week.”
“If you’ve woken up this morning with mild symptoms, then you need to go and get tested,” she continued.
The Tasmanian Premier has also announced that anyone who has arrived in Tasmania from SA since November 9 should immediately self isolate either at home or other appropriate accomodation.
Following yesterday’s announcement of four new community transmission cases in South Australia, the first since April, the family-based cluster has grown, with 17 cases now attributed to the outbreak.
Two schools are now closed as links to the cluster are investigated, with Parafield Gardens’ Thomas More College announcing a 24 hour closure, which has a link to a positive case.
Mawson Lakes School and Preschool is also closed, along with the Port Adelaide Hungry Jacks.
The outbreak was discovered on Friday, when a woman in her 80 was tested at the Lyell McEwan Hospital and according to Dr Spurrier her date of onset was the 12 November. As she waited for several hours to receive her test, 90 staff and patients at the hospital are now quarantining.
A large contact tracing effort from the middle of the night to yesterday produced more positive results from the woman’s family members who work in hotel quarantine, aged and health care and a large prison.
SA Health are still doing genomic testing but they will be assuming that that’s the origin of the disease.
A number of Medi-hotel staff have been asked to quarantine.
Dr Spurrier says that more cases will likely emerge from this cluster.
Further details will be provided shortly.
If you have any symptoms of COVID-19, even if mild, seek testing immediately. For a list of testing sites visit www.sahealth.sa.gov.au/covidtesting
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