COVID-19

South Australian Parliament shuts down amid COVID concerns

The South Australian Parliament announced its adjourning this morning, with ministers and staff instructed to avoid face-to-face meetings amid rising concerns of COVID community transmission.

Featured Image Credit: State Library of South Australia

The South Australian Parliament announced its adjourning this morning, with ministers and staff instructed to avoid face-to-face meetings amid rising concerns of COVID community transmission.

News broke last night that the former South Australian Premier, Jay Weatherill, was one of the two SA COVID cases linked to the first instances of community transmission in the state since the borders opened on November 23.

It was recommended by SA Health that the sitting Parliament adjourn to allow for contact tracing to take place within the quarters. This applies to both the House of Assembly and Legislative council. Today, Thursday, December 2, was scheduled to be the last day Parliament sat before the state election, which will take place in March of next year.

Several politicians had met with Weatherill in the previous days, when it was believed that the former Premier was infections, including Leader of the Opposition Peter Malinauskas.

The shadow minister and several others have now been instructed to complete a seven-day quarantine amid mounting concerns of community transmission. It is reported that the Deputy Opposition Leader, Susan Close, has also sought out a COVID test following contact with Weatherill.

Taking to Twitter this morning, Malinauskas has reported he has returned a negative test.

It is reported that Weatherill had attended a high school reunion at Theatre Bugs, Norwood, where at least two people in their 50s tested positive for COVID-19. It is believed these are the first instances of community transmission in the state. Several exposure sites, including Theatre Bugs, Fourth in Glenelg and Cardone’s Seafood & Grill were listed yesterday evening in connection with the confirmed cases.

Since stepping down as SA’s Premier, Weatherill resides in WA, where he runs an early childhood initiative alongside his wife. Since returning to South Australia, it’s been reported that the former politician has had a jam-packed schedule of face-to-face meetings with members of the SA Labor Party.

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