South Australia’s coronavirus cluster has grown to 20 cases today, with the state imposing new restrictions and calling in the defence force in an attempt to get the outbreak under control.
The latest COVID-19 spot fire has arrived just as Australia seemed on the verge of eliminating the virus altogether, after Victoria recorded its 18th consecutive day of no new cases.
It also once again raises the question: what does our new normal look like?
Open by Christmas?
The SA cluster puts Scott Morrison’s plan to have all internal borders open by Christmas in jeopardy.
WA Premier Mark McGowan warned the plan was unwise, and he might have a point.
Every state and territory except NSW and the ACT has announced new border restriction for SA travellers, even as Morrison and NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian argue that small numbers of cases can be managed while the economy, and the borders, remain open.
Lessons learned from other states
Like Victoria’s second wave, SA’s cluster stems from an apparent breach in hotel quarantine, quickly spreading through a large family, many of whom work in high-risk settings including prisons, aged care and health care.
University of NSW infectious diseases epidemiologist Abrar Chughtai told Crikey SA’s cluster could quickly snowball into a situation like Victoria’s.
“Almost 50% of infected people are asymptomatic … we should expect more cases in the community,” he said.
The SA government has acted quickly: international flights have been suspended, gyms have been closed, pubs and clubs limited to 100 seated patrons, and home gatherings to 10 people.
“We have evidence now that shows strict measures work in the absence of vaccines,” Chughtai said, adding the next step would be to implement postcode lockdowns.
Victoria waited until the state had more than 300 active infections to implement postcode lockdowns. By then, it was too little, too late.
Following Victoria’s failures in contact tracing, SA has accepted help from federal National Incident Centre contact tracing teams. SA will also start testing quarantine staff weekly. Following NSW’s lead, SA is also publishing high-risk locations.
“These small outbreaks are totally expected and will continue until we have an effective vaccine,” Chughtai said.
Quarantine needs to change
University of South Australia biostatistics and epidemiology Professor Adrian Esterman told Crikey fighting constant clusters didn’t have to be the new normal.
“Unless we change the quarantine system we’re going to get breaches,” he said. Esterman questioned why we were quarantining highly infectious people in the CBD.
“I can’t see why the federal government wouldn’t use places like Christmas Island or Woomera to quarantine people so infections can’t leak out into the general population,” he said.
Esterman also believes Australia should also be embracing rapid antigen testing at both state and national borders (the tests take just 15 minutes to provide a result, but are not as accurate as other methods).
“When community transmission is so low, this makes for a good second-check for everyone crossing a state border,” Esterman said.
Why do we continue to import Covid ?? all the returning airline seats should be full of people who present to board the flight with their passports and passport verified negative Covid test with the result being negative day prior to departure. That way all the flight have passengers of the same standard . Then they go into 14 day quarantine – that way we could decrease the probability hotel contacts taking Covid home after work.
It would also be useful to redesign North head Sydney the old quarantine station – and other quarantine areas and when clear mothball them until the next pandemic.
How do you guarantee that when they are coming from various countries? Who checks they are certainly covid free?
I have a staff member moving between islands in the Philippines for work next week. He has to have a test and can only fly within 3 days of a clear result.
Part of the problem is that workers at quarantine locations go home to their families or shared houses after a shift. If the quarantine was done at a remote station by resident staff – paid accordingly – the risk of leakage into the community would be greatly reduced. This job would be like that of service personnel or sportsmen on tour. Selecting people with an adequate grasp of infection control would help too.
The feds tried putting them in Christmas Island, in the detention centre. This ended up being a little embarrassing for them and they’ve been outsourcing it to the states ever since.
That level or remoteness is not necessary for this purpose. The Howard Springs station is working in NT. Even North Head, were it still an option would probably work if managed in the above manner.
Once the numbers exceeded more than one Sri lankan family. It was beyond their capabilities
Exactly – it’s not like we have a terribly high density population country. Infact we have infinite space to set up quarantine locations with dedicated staff. The feds just don’t want to do it.
Answer: money. Sorry to be cynical but it’s “cheaper” to use hotels. Not for the full economy of course but the bureaucracy would crap itself trying to set up mass remote quarantine in all states.
I am waiting for no credibility Credlin to start going to and questioning the S.A Premier.
Maybe that is a bit out of the question, after all he is Liberal.
I’m waiting for SA to (hopefully) get it under control in a few weeks, at which time News Corpse will open the heavens on Victoria for “taking so long”. These people have spun themselves into a situation where no matter what happens, their narrative rebounds like an elastic band. They have every qualification to create a new organised religion.
We have become a little obsessed about offshoring or disappearing everything regarding refugees and viruses (worse is how many conflate the two?).
Australia used to have onshore quarantine facilities but they were closed down; temporary facilities should be doable in regional centres when far poorer nations can manage?
Although national borders and quarantine are the responsiblity of the national government, outside of dog whistling refugees/immigrants, the present government seems afraid of carrying out their border responsibilities (while shouting at states to open borders) due to political risk considerations?
Finally, many nations allow entry of any foreigner (ex. tourists) possessing a valid resident visa or existing permit e.g. students, employees, family etc. on the proviso of presenting a valid test from before departure, another after arrival and/or home quarantine up to 14 days (managed by police/local councils).
Rapid testing, in addition to other measures, is becoming the norm in many EU and other nations to at least allow essential movement of individuals versus Australia where it’s more about the freedom of VIPs, sporting, entertainment and business elites…..