Covid 19 coronavirus: South Australia comes out of lockdown early after lie discovered

South Australia will end its blockade of “circuit breakers” tonight, three days earlier than officially planned, after it was discovered that a man connected to a recent outbreak lied to contact trackers.

Prime Minister Steven Marshall said Friday he would relax the state’s restrictions because a man at a pizzeria linked to a cluster of new cases told contact trackers that he had only bought a pizza when he was actually working at the store.

Authorities initially thought the man had contracted the virus during a very short exposure, meaning the virus strain was highly contagious.

It was only after the state was put on a six-day lockdown on Thursday, to allow contact trackers to catch up on what they mistakenly believed to be a group of rapidly spreading coronaviruses, that the man was found to be was an employee who had worked several. shifts.

When the truth was discovered, easing fears over the severity of the outbreak, Marshall said he would not allow “the shameful conduct of a single individual” to keep the state locked up for longer than necessary.

“To say that I am furious at the actions of this individual is an absolute understatement,” Marshall said. “The selfish actions of this individual have put our entire state in a very difficult situation.”

Grant Stevens, the state police commissioner, said the state would not have closed if the person had not lied.

“The lie was that the person claimed they had bought a pizza at the pizza place, when in fact they were working there and had been working there for several shifts,” Stevens said.

South Australia’s stay-at-home order will be revoked at midnight, allowing meetings to continue and businesses to resume trading.

Under the eased restrictions, businesses will be able to reopen, but must comply with the density restriction of one person for every 4 square meters.

Dancing will not be allowed in the venues, and customers must consume all food and drink while seated.

Gyms, massage parlors and salons will be allowed to reopen, but personal care workers will be required to wear masks.

There will also be a return to strict limits on meetings, with funerals limited to 50 people and weddings to 150 guests who must register with SA Health.

Private meetings will be limited to 50 people, while meetings held in private residences should not have more than 10 people.

Schools will reopen Monday, after parents were initially told that students would have to spend the first part of next week at home.

– Additional reporting UK Daily Telegraph