SA to drop COVID-19 close contact rules from next week

South Australia will scrap close contact quarantine rules from the end of next week.

The move brings the state in line with New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland and the ACT.

The state government made the decision in a meeting of its Emergency Management Council late this afternoon.

Close contacts will instead have to take five rapid antigen tests over a seven-day period following their exposure to the virus.

They will also have to wear masks when outside the house, and be prohibited from visiting high-risk settings such as hospitals and aged care facilities.

Under the changes, people will have to notify their employers or educational facilities of their close contact status and will be asked to avoid non-essential gatherings and those who are vulnerable.

The new rules will be in place from 12:01am on Saturday, April 30.

People who are in quarantine as a close-contact can leave isolation when the rules change on Saturday morning, as long as they return a negative at-home test.

Rules can be eased safely, Premier says

SA Premier Peter Malinauskas said the changes can be made safely, with the easing of mask rules last week not resulting in a spike in case numbers or hospitalisations.

“This will relieve a lot of South Australians, whether they be workers, whether they be small businesses who are currently having to experience the difficulties that the virus presents,” Mr Malinauskas said.

“We can do this because our hospital system as it currently stands — although it is under substantial pressure — is managing to cope in difficult circumstances.”

He said there were now 150 additional beds in the system that the state government had opened in the past month.

However, he said it was crucial people received their required vaccination dose, including booster shots and winter jabs if they are eligible.

“We see a triple-dose rate in SA that is largely in-line with the rest of the country, but there is massive room for improvement,” he said.

Health chief recommends delaying rule changes

The state’s Chief Public Health Officer, Professor Nicola Spurrier, backed the changes but recommended authorities wait an extra week before implementing them.

She was also concerned about increasing numbers of cases in regional parts of the state, in some hospitals and some specialty SA Health-run units, including a mental health ward in the Northern Adelaide Local Health Network.

“It has happened from time-to-time throughout the pandemic,” she said.

However, she said it was important that people got tested and notified their employers if they are close-contacts.

“In most instances, we recommend that people work from home if they possibly can and it will be important for the employer to understand the risk that they are taking on,” Professor Spurrier said.

“It is very good that we can allow people back into the workforce but employers need to understand that there is a risk of that person becoming infectious.”

Professor Spurrier said people will still need to get tested if they have symptoms and remain in quarantine for seven days if they return a positive result.

No call on masks-in-schools

South Australia’s state coordinator and Police Commissioner Grant Stevens said no immediate decision had been made on mask wearing in schools ahead of term two resuming.

“We’re hopeful that we can provide clarity to families before school goes back about what those requirements are going to be,” Mr Stevens said.

“There is a policy decision for the education sector based on the health advice and we will work through that over the course of the next few days and discuss in [at the Emergency Management Council] meeting on Tuesday.”