There have been no confirmed coronavirus cases in South Australia so far as a result of exposure to infected removalists, but urgent efforts are continuing to contact dozens of people who were at a third exposure site.

Key points:

  • SA Health is urging people who were at the petrol station during the exposure period to contact them
  • SA is potentially facing renewed social restrictions
  • It remains unclear whether a man who tested positive in quarantine has the Delta variant

SA authorities listed the OTR Motorsport Park service station at Tailem Bend as an exposure site late on Wednesday, after it was confirmed the removalists — two of whom have tested positive — had attended between 7:20am and 8:15am on Friday.

The three men, who have been linked to COVID-19 cases in Melbourne, then headed to McLaren Vale before returning to Sydney, again via Tailem Bend.

Deputy Chief Public Health Officer Emily Kirkpatrick said several staff at the site during the danger period had so far been tested.

“We know there were eight staff members who were there at the time, and we have in fact, very pleasingly, been able to test seven of those eight last night,” she told ABC Radio Adelaide.

Those who were at the exposure site at the specified date and time — along with their household contacts — have been ordered to immediately self-isolate for 14 days and seek testing immediately.

Those who were at the site will also have to be tested on days five and 13, and they have been urged to contact SA Health to notify contact tracers.

The incident has put the state’s QR code check-in system back into focus, after it was revealed that there were only 25 check-ins at the service station during the exposure period on Friday — significantly fewer than the 76 credit card transactions at the time.

“We are concerned around the check-in data, and that’s particularly why we discussed that with SAPOL,” Dr Kirkpatrick said.

“We’ve been able to use QR data to send out to anyone who was there at the time but unfortunately only 25 people have QR checked-in at that time, and we do know this was a busy time for that particular service station and it’s a very popular spot.

“If you have been at that location, please get in contact with us, self-isolate and get a COVID-19 test.

“We know all three removalists have entered that store, they’ve purchased coffee while at the same time purchasing fuel as well.”

Dr Emily Kirkpatrick said there was no record of the men doing QR check-ins in SA.(

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Dr Kirkpatrick said testing hours had been extended at the Tailem Bend clinic, and said there was no record of the three men having used QR code check-ins during their time in SA.

“We’ve continued to go back to these individuals,” she said.

“We couldn’t find any QR codes for these individuals in the state, and certainly that would have helped our contact tracing efforts immensely.

“This has been a very difficult process for them to recall exact details and we don’t particularly believe they’re misleading us.”

SA Police Commissioner Grant Stevens said he had “heard different accounts” about whether the men were cooperating with authorities.

“I haven’t heard of any obstruction … and, in fact, two of the removalists have voluntarily handed over their phones so we can download the data from those phones and double check and verify that we’ve got all the locations they’ve been at,” he said.

“I have not personally been advised of any issues in terms of cooperation, but I have heard that other jurisdictions are making statements of a different type.”

Bend Motorsport Park CEO Sam Shahin said the OTR outlet had since undergone cleaning.

“The site was closed yesterday and had a deep clean and is just awaiting clearance from SA Health,” he said.

Genomic testing continuing on quarantine case

SA is currently facing new restrictions, as well as renewed uncertainty over the Victorian border situation.

“At midnight last night, we did implement level one restrictions for Greater Melbourne, which does require people to have a test on arrival [in SA from Greater Melbourne] and have a negative test before they can enter a high-risk setting,” she said.

“We’ll be actively looking at that this morning, meeting with SAPOL to discuss whether that is still appropriate moving forward, given the number of exposure sites in Victoria.

“We’ll be reviewing the public activities direction as well and seeing if any adjustments need to be made.”

Commissioner Stevens said it was his hope “that we maintain the status quo today, but we’ll be critically reviewing what’s happening in other jurisdictions”.

“People should be ready for an announcement that indicates we might have to take some steps to provide a greater level of security for South Australia. We don’t want to do it, I can’t say it’s going to happen today, I hope it doesn’t,” he said.

AFL team Port Adelaide is currently preparing to fly into Victoria tomorrow evening, on a charter flight, to play St Kilda on Saturday.

“At this stage, that’s our plan but we’re watching closely,” CEO Matthew Richardson said.

SA Health yesterday flagged a possible case of local transmission in an Adelaide medi-hotel, after a man in his 40s tested positive on his day 13 test.

The man tested positive while in the Stamford Plaza medi-hotel.(

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Authorities believe he may have caught the virus from a man staying across the hallway, who tested positive but was believed to be an old, non-infectious case.

Dr Kirkpatrick said genomic testing was being undertaken at the moment.

“We’re hoping to have that back this morning, early afternoon, to tell us whether this is genomically linked with the person in the room across from them,” she said.

“We can’t tell yet whether that is the Delta variant.

“It is upsetting when we have to extend people’s quarantine period … [but] we’ve moved ahead and asked people to have that extra 14 days of quarantine who were on that particular floor.”

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