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Mine worker tests positive to COVID in SA

A “very infectious” fly-in-fly-out mine worker has tested positive to COVID after arriving in Adelaide on a flight from Melbourne last night.

Oct 11, 2021, updated Oct 11, 2021
Chief Public Health Officer Nicola Spurrier. File Photo: Naomi Jellicoe / pool / AAP

Chief Public Health Officer Nicola Spurrier. File Photo: Naomi Jellicoe / pool / AAP

Chief public health officer Professor Nicola Spurrier this afternoon revealed details of the case – a woman in her 30s who arrived on Jetstar Flight JQ778 at 5.50pm last night.

Spurrier said the woman was wearing a mask and moved quickly through the airport before getting into a taxi and going to the Quest King William South apartments to do her 14-day quarantine period.

An essential mine worker, she will be moved to Tom’s Court medi-hotel today.

“This person is clearly very infectious,” Spurrier said of the woman’s test results.

As a result, SA Health has identified two “Tier One” exposure sites, meaning anyone there at the affected time will need to quarantine and be tested.

They are:

  • The whole of the Jetstar flight including passengers and crew.
  • The reception area of the Quest Apartments at 379 King William St from 6.15 to 7pm last night.

Adelaide Airport is a “tier 4” exposure site: anyone who was there from 5.30pm to 6.20pm on Sunday should monitor for symptoms and get tested if any develop.

“Unfortunately we have got a taxi driver who we’ve contacted this morning who will be required to quarantine,” Spurrier said.

“And then there’s also the front of house person at the Quest Hotel that is going to need to quarantine.

“We will be looking at CCTV footage and making a determination about any other close contacts.

“Despite the fact that she is really quite infectious she’s only been in our state for a short period of time so we have got time to get on top of this but unfortunately it does mean a quarantine period for a number of South Australians.”

Spurrier said that people coming in from Victoria would have already needed to quarantine anyway “but we will be looking very closely at the quarantine arrangements of anybody that was on that flight”.

It comes after a truck driver in his 20s, and his co-driver in his 40s, also tested positive on the weekend, prompting a raft of regional exposure sites.

A full list of exposure sites will be published on the SA Health website.

Spurrier said an international traveller – a woman in her 30s – had also tested positive today but had been in a medi-hotel since her arrival and it was “nothing to be concerned about”.

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