South Australia quarantines 4,000 people amid growing cluster linked to medi-hotel
Around 4,000 people in South Australia have been ordered to quarantine as the Australian state grapples with a fresh COVID-19 outbreak.
South Australia authorities announced five new locally-transmitted cases on Tuesday, at least four of which were officially linked to a medi-hotel in the Parafield suburb of Adelaide, where travelers arriving from abroad are required to quarantine for 14 days. Authorities said the fifth case is expected to be connected to the Parafield cluster soon, which would bring the total number to 21.
"All of these people have either no symptoms or they are very mildly symptomatic, and they have been picked up early in the course of the disease," South Australia’s chief health officer, Prof. Nicola Spurrier, said at a press conference Tuesday.
Those who have been advised to isolate are all close contacts of the cluster from the quarantine hotel and are being contacted daily by health authorities to check for symptoms. Meanwhile, at least five schools have been closed as contact tracers work to contain the outbreak, according to Spurrier.
"We've decided to take a very, very cautious approach," she told reporters, later adding that "this is a very, very worrying situation."
Thousands of people have been tested for COVID-19 in South Australia in recent days. Spurrier urged people to only get tested if they are symptomatic or if they have recently visited the areas of concern.
"We do need to prioritize our testing across South Australia," she said.
There are currently 34 active infections in the state, including imported cases. The latest cluster is the first instance of community transmission in South Australia since April.
"I need to reiterate to the people of South Australia that we are not out of the woods yet," the state's premier, Steven Marshall, said at Tuesday's press conference. "We are just at the beginning stages of dealing with this particular very nasty cluster in Parafield. We are going to get through this. But we’re going to get through it with the cooperation of every single South Australian citizen."