South Australia recorded zero new COVID-19 infections on Monday, the day before restrictions are expected to ease.
The state’s total number of infections remains at 561, with 17 considered active.
There are 33 cases still connected to the Parafield cluster, with almost 2000 people quarantining over links to the group.
SA Health Deputy Chief Public Health Officer Emily Kirkpatrick again urged anyone with the mildest of symptoms to get tested immediately and stressed the importance of wearing a mask.
Sunday also recorded no new cases, but it was announced a man breached his quarantine and went on a shopping spree while infectious last Sunday.
Within three hours, the man — who was first identified as a casual contact to a confirmed case — managed to visit seven businesses across metropolitan Adelaide.
As a result, hundreds of shoppers have been asked to get tested if they attended the same locations as the infected man.
The man, in his 30s, is a student at the Intensive English Language Institute located at Flinders University’s Sturt campus and first tested negative to the virus at the beginning of his quarantine.
People were seen queuing at the Thebarton and Kurralta Park pop up testing sites early Monday morning.
SA Health Chief Public Health Officer Nicola Spurrier has long called for high testing rates, recently saying she was “disappointed” by the numbers and that testing was the key to the state’s defence against the Parafield cluster.
On Sunday, she was unable to guarantee the easing of restrictions would go ahead as scheduled on Tuesday.
“I’m monitoring everything on a daily basis,” she said.
“If we could see the testing increase, I would be feeling a lot more confident.
“If we don’t have that testing rate up and that I could feel confident that everybody with symptoms, particularly people who have been to these locations are getting tested, then I can’t feel confident that we’re on top of things.”
More to come.
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