‘High alert’: South Australians urged to remain vigilant despite wastewater testing negative for COVID-19

Concerns about COVID-19 detections in Adelaide’s wastewater have reduced because repeat testing has now come back negative, South Australian authorities say.

It was revealed yesterday that tests had detected traces of coronavirus in wastewater in the city’s southern and northern suburbs.

The northern suburbs detection was thought to have been shedding from the recent Modbury cluster, but authorities were concerned about the southern suburbs detection which was not part of the Modbury cluster area.

But Chief Public Health Officer Nicola Spurrier told ABC Radio Adelaide this morning the detection could have been someone from the Modbury cluster who travelled through the southern suburbs while they were shedding the disease.

“We are, as people realise, on high alert because of the situation in New South Wales and now in Victoria as well.”

The wastewater in the north was connected with the Salisbury area, while the southern sample included sewage from the suburbs of Hallett Cove, Lonsdale, Morphett Vale, Reynella and Sheidow Park.

Also overnight, five new exposure sites were linked to a COVID-positive truck driver who travelled into South Australia from NSW.

Five COVID-positive truck drivers have travelled through South Australia in the past six days, putting authorities on high alert.

There are now about 30 exposure sites across the state, from Nundroo in the far west to Pinnaroo near the Victorian border.

Professor Spurrier said the short span of time between the truck drivers visiting the locations and then testing positive was good, because it meant that there were limited exposure sites.

Hundreds of South Australians are now in quarantine after visiting exposure sites.

“We’re in a good position to get on top of this, because if we do have these people in quarantine, we do have time,” she said.

Call for vaccinations at Victorian border

A new COVID-19 testing site is opening at Yamba, at the Victorian border in the Riverland, but the South Australian Road Transport Association wants vaccinations to also be available there.

Spokesman Steve Shearer said the South Australian government, police and SA Health had given in-principle support for a vaccination clinic for truck drivers at Yamba.

He said another should be set up at Nhill, across the border in western Victoria, which is a busy heavy transport hub.

Mr Shearer said the Victorian government had resisted the move, “which meant all of that testing had to be done here [in SA], increasing the workload in South Australia”.

“That needs to change,” he said.

“Victoria needs to realise that it helps them as much as it helps us.

“So we’ll be applying pretty strong pressure on the Victorian government through our colleagues to make that happen.”

Most truck drivers coming to Adelaide from NSW pass through north-western Victoria.

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