South Australia records its first local Covid cases in 212 days as the state anxiously waits to hear if it will join millions of other Australians in lockdown
South Australia has recorded its first new Covid-19 cases in 212 days, prompting fears the state could be plunged into lockdown along with millions of Australians across four states and territories.
Multiple reports suggest the cases may be linked to one family, with authorities set to confirm at a press conference on Wednesday morning.
It marks South Australia’s first infections since the Parafield cluster plunged the state into lockdown in November.
New restrictions were imposed on residents on Monday, despite no new infections, amid fears that one of the 752 fly-in-fly-out workers from a gold mine in the Northern Territory exposed to the Delta variant could spread the virus.
Of those miners, about 29 presented for testing in South Australia.
It is not clear whether the new infections stem from the Northern Territory outbreak.
Indoor gatherings were cut to 150 people and masks made mandatory in confined public spaces and ‘high-risk’ settings from midnight on Monday.
Pubs and restaurants will revert to the one person per two square metres rule, or 50 percent capacity, and buffets are banned.
Masks will be required in residential aged care homes, hospitals, and personal care settings such as salons and gyms.
‘We also highly recommend them for public transport in SA,’ Premier Steven Marshall said.
More to come