Melburnians Are Offering Solidarity With South Australians As They Enter Lockdown
"Sending strong Netflix energy from Victoria"
Put down the panic-bought toilet paper and pick up your face masks South Australia — as of midnight tonight, you’re going into lockdown.
Up until now SA has had a pretty good run in the pandemic, but this afternoon Premier Steven Marshall announced a six-day lockdown, starting at midnight tonight.
People are being told not to leave their homes, but if you do a mask must be worn.
There is cautious optimism that the lockdown will act as a “circuit-breaker” to allow for contact tracing on cases linked to the Parafield cluster in Adelaide. There are now 22 cases directly linked to that cluster.
“If we leave this any longer … then we will be in this for a long haul and we will be like the experience in Victoria,” Chief Public Health Officer Nicola Spurrier said this afternoon.
I don't think it's a coincidence that mere days after the pigeon was unveiled in Rundle Mall, Adelaide became disease riddled pic.twitter.com/sLVimzqtGt
— Matt Roberts (@TheWalkindude77) November 17, 2020
Victorians, meanwhile, have been showing solidarity with residents of their neighbouring state.
The similarities between South Australia’s and Victoria’s outbreaks have raised plenty of alarm bells for people — and considering Victoria just spent 112 days in lockdown, it’s now a comparison anyone wants.
Solidarity South Australia. What you are about to go through sucks a lot. But it worked for us.
— Josh Taylor (@joshgnosis) November 18, 2020
You've got this, South Australia! Sending strong Netflix energy from Victoria. xx
— Alexandra Roginski (@AlexRoginski) November 18, 2020
This really sucks for people in SA but it’s the right thing to do. Go hard and go early. Time and time again we’ve seen that half arsed measures are not good enough.
— Connoisseur of Fine Internets (@innanet_man) November 18, 2020
What Does That Mean For South Australians?
Basically wherever you are at midnight tonight, you’d better get comfortable.
For the next six days people are being told not to leave the house unless it’s for an essential reason. That means you cannot leave your home to exercise, and only one person per household is allowed to grab groceries each day.
Regional travel is also banned, and from midnight tonight pubs, cafes, coffee shops, food courts and takeaway food joints will close.
Universities and schools (except those for vulnerable children, or children of essential workers) will shut, all outdoor sport has been banned, and weddings and funerals will also be cancelled.
Open inspections and real estate auctions will no longer go ahead, the construction industry will shutdown, aged care facilities are locking down, and elective surgeries will be postponed (except for urgent operations and cancer treatment).
Supermarkets, petrol stations and public transport is still open, and access to medical services will still be available.
Most importantly, masks will be required whenever you step outside your house.
nicola spurrier: CORONAVIRUS IS HERE
adelaide: pic.twitter.com/idBOsMXOzn— edward kuhne (@edwardkuhne) November 18, 2020
Should I Get Tested?
Right now people are waiting hours at testing sites in South Australia, so if you don’t have symptoms or haven’t been near an identified cluster it’s best to just stay home and wait it out.
But if you are experiencing symptoms, you should definitely get swabbed — remember to mask up before leaving the house.
If you have been to, or ordered takeaway from, the Woodville Pizza Bar in Adelaide between November 6 and 16 you should immediately self-quarantine and get tested. The same goes for anyone who went to Roma Mitchell Secondary College or Thomas More College from November 12 to 13.
For more information visit SA Health’s Contact Tracing website here.
How Did This Outbreak Happen?
Adelaide’s coronavirus cluster has been traced to a cleaner who worked at a medi-hotel in the CBD. The state health minister Stephen Wade said no infection control protocols were breached — it’s believed that the person contracted the virus “via a surface“.
People have been generally supportive of the drastic move to lockdown the state, accepting it as a necessary step to try and stop the virus spiralling out of control.
Meanwhile, others are having a predictable hissy fit — looking at you, Cory Bernardi.
Welcome to South Australiahttps://t.co/a9MXnDkNv4
— Cory Bernardi (@corybernardi) November 18, 2020
Considering how conservatives loved beating on that Dictator Dan drum, we’ve got the countdown on to the first “Marshall Law” headline. I mean, it’s right there guys.