SA Health has shut down football and netball finals in the state’s far-west, in Port Augusta and Port Pirie after four petrol stations were named as exposure sites connected with two COVID-positive NSW truck drivers. 

Key points:

  • Four COVID-19 exposure sites have been listed in South Australia
  • Sport in Port Augusta, Port Pirie and Penong has been cancelled
  • New rules for essential travellers are coming in next month

The truck drivers travelled through South Australia on their way to Western Australia and tested positive for COVID-19 while in Perth.

Two petrol stations in both Ceduna and Port Augusta have been listed as tier 1 exposure sites.

SA Health says anyone who was at the locations listed on the SA Health website needs to get tested and isolate with their household for two weeks.

Exposure date 

Exposure time

Suburb

Location

26/08/2021

5:30am – 6:30am

Ceduna

IOR Petroleum Ceduna

92 McKenzie St

26/08/2021

5:30am – 6:30am

Ceduna

OTR Ceduna

35 Eyre Highway

25-26/08/2021

11:30pm (25/8) – 12:30am (26/8)

Port Augusta

IOR Petroleum Port Augusta (South)

Northern Power Station Rd

25-26/08/2021

11:30pm (25/8) – 12:30am (26/8)

Port Augusta

OTR Port Augusta

Cnr Augusta Highway and Northern Power Station Rd

The truck drivers, men aged 29 and 23, had travelled from NSW via Victoria.

They are both quarantining in a hotel with mild symptoms. 

SA Health reported one new COVID-19 case today, in a teenage boy who acquired his infection overseas and who had been in a medi-hotel since his arrival.

Football and netball finals were due to be held in Penong, a town famous for its many windmills.(

ABC News: Tony Hill

)

The Western Eyre Football League and Western Eyre Netball Association finals matches due to be held at Penong today have been cancelled as a precautionary move advised by SA Health.

Football league president Ron Redford said people would have been travelling from all over the Eyre Peninsula for the event.

“The police are stopping the traffic that are heading west from Ceduna to advise them if they are going to the football that it’s been postponed,” he said.

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He said the games at Penong would likely be rescheduled soon if the health advice allowed.

“The obvious thing that we’ll have to do, depending on what sort of response SA Health give us about what’s happening in the future, we’ll put the season back and we’ll play the preliminary final at Penong next week and the grand final the following week,” he said.

Spencer Gulf league football and netball matches due to be held in Port Augusta and Port Pirie today have also been cancelled.

The best and fairest count tonight has been postponed until next week.

South Augusta Football Club president Michael Kerin said netball was already underway and junior football about to start when the league found out matches could not go ahead.

South Augusta Football Club president Michael Kerin tidies up chairs after finding out matches were cancelled.(

ABC News: Shari Hams

)

The last round of the season will instead be played next week.

“[It was] disappointing, but it is what it is and it’s here to stay,” Mr Kerin said.

“When I heard the news last night about 11:30pm on the ABC I feared something like this would happen this morning so I wasn’t surprised.”

Filling up petrol at one of the exposure sites today, Port Augusta resident John Smyth said he and friends would be wearing masks at a birthday party tonight.

“We’re pretty lucky in South Australia so we hope it doesn’t spread anywhere,” he said.

Port Augusta Mayor Brett Benbow is advising anyone who has been to exposure sites in the city to immediately get tested and self-quarantine.

“I encourage our community to just stay strong — just make sure you follow the processes, wear your mask, use the sanitiser and wash your hands regularly, but there are definitely no positive cases in our community at this point in time,” he said.

Essential travellers to get vaccinated

From September 24, anyone older than 18 arriving from the ACT, NSW or Victoria will need to provide evidence they have had at least one COVID-19 vaccine to enter the South Australia.

Those who are unable to do so will need to get an exemption from the South Australian government.

Travellers from those three jurisdictions are now unable to travel through SA to arrive in another state or territory.

Essential travellers coming into SA from the ACT, NSW or Victoria need to prove they have had a COVID-19 test within 72 hours before their arrival.

Those living in the state’s cross-border bubble with Victoria are exempt.

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Posted , updated