COVID case puts regional city on a knife-edge, pinning hopes on testing

A South Australian regional city remains on a knife edge over whether a COVID-19 positive case will lead to community transmission and lockdown. 

Mount Gambier, the Wattle Range, and the Grant Council areas — located on the Limestone Coast — have been plunged into seven days of heavy restrictions following a positive COVID-19 case.

More than 500 people rushed to get tested yesterday at Mount Gambier’s major testing site following news of the COVID-19 case in the district.

At this stage, SA Police do not have sufficient clarity about the movements of the individual who returned the positive result on Saturday.

SA Health has been working to determine potential exposure sites, which could be announced today, while Mount Gambier’s wastewater will be tested for traces of the virus.

On ABC Radio this morning, Premier Steven Marshall said of the 12 close contacts of the COVID-positive woman none had yet tested positive.

“But we do know that this woman was infectious in Mount Gambier, certainly on Friday,” Mr Marshall said.

“But let’s just see what those results are over the next day or so.”

Mr Marshall said the state was “trying to avoid” another lockdown.

“We know that this will be a real pain for people living in that area, but it’s much better than a lockdown, it’s much better to be a little bit more cautious,” he said.

South Australian Police Commissioner Grant Stevens urged the public to contact them if they had any information, as authorities attempted to piece together the Mount Gambier woman’s movements.

The contact tracing includes the possibility of whether she may have visited other locations in Victoria other than Casterton, as was initially thought.

“At this stage, we don’t have sufficient clarity on the person’s movements to be certain,” Mr Stevens said.

Limestone Coast Local Health director of medical services Elaine Pretorius called on people living in the Mount Gambier district not to “panic”.

Dr Pretorius urged residents living in the Mount Gambier district to get vaccinated.

She said it was policy that all COVID-19 cases were transferred to an Adelaide-based hospital or medi-hotel.

The Mount Gambier woman was now in Tom’s Court medi-hotel with her four children.

“We have contingencies [at Mount Gambier Hospital] if that is not possible,” Dr Pretorius said.

She said it was “too soon” to determine whether a medi-hotel needed to be re-established in Mount Gambier, but additional resourcing would be supplied to the Mount Gambier COVID-19 testing site.

“So this morning … we will be sitting down and working out how we can increase our support for both of these activities.”

Mount Gambier Mayor Lynette Martin expressed sympathy for border neighbours in Victoria who may not be able to visit following the decision to tighten the border corridor to 30 kilometres.

“You know, they’re part of our social and economic fabric in Mount Gambier,” Ms Martin said.

She expressed support for her electorate through the next seven days of stronger restrictions.

Federal support push

Member for Barker Tony Pasin, whose electorate incorporated the three local government areas, expressed his anger over the situation.

“If it is determined that this infection was picked up outside the border bubble, then the border bubble has to be reinstated as quickly as possible,” Mr Pasin said.

Meanwhile, the member for the electorate of MacKillop, Nick McBride, urged the community to remain vigilant and cautious.

He said speculation the COVID-positive woman could have contracted the disease from Casterton had rocked the small rural town.

“It has put the wind up them,” Mr McBride said.

He warned the reduced border bubble was pushing cross-border communities deeper into Victoria to access services.

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