Large sections of the Limestone Coast ground to a halt on Tuesday evening as the state was thrown into an emergency seven-day lockdown.
Closed signs sprung up on business doors across the region initially on Monday afternoon, before Premier Steven Marshall announced a snap lockdown on Tuesday morning, starting at 6pm. Premier Marshall said the lockdown was required to halt the spread of the Delta variant of the coronavirus, which has emerged in the state.
The South Australian Government moved swiftly on Monday to introduce restrictions in a bid to curb community transmission as cases emerged in Adelaide. However, the restrictions morphed into a full-scale lockdown after case numbers grew on Tuesday.
The initial restrictions were due to be reviewed on Friday, however authorities opted to lock down the state in a bid to stop the spread of the fast-moving virus. Schools closed, community sport was cancelled and businesses were left scrambling to clear excess stock in the hours before the lockdown came into effect.
South Australia is racing to halt the spread of the Delta variant of the coronavirus which has emerged in our state as restrictions have seen the state move into a seven-day lockdown. Statewide public health rules were put in place earlier in the week after multiple cases of the Delta variant, which has spread all over the world, were detected in the South Australian community.
As a result on Tuesday morning South Australia moved into level 4 restrictions, the second-highest level of restrictions in our state. However, as further cases were detected overnight Monday and into Tuesday South Australia moved into a seven-day lockdown from 6pm on Tuesday. SA is now in its highest level of restrictions, a stay-at-home order at level 5, which SA Health describes as indicating it is likely the disease is not contained within South Australia.
There are now just a few reasons that South Australians can leave their residences:
• Care and compassion reasons
• Essential work
• Medical reasons, including vaccination and testing
• The purchase of essential goods, such as a food
• Exercise that has to be limited to those from the same household
Premier Steven Marshall said he had spoken with Prime Minister Scott Morrison, who confirmed South Australians unable to work due to the lockdown would receive the same level of federal financial support as Victoria and NSW.
However, the COVID-19 Disaster Payment only kicks-in if COVID-19 restrictions last for more than seven days. The Premier on Tuesday flagged that Treasurer Rob Lucas was assessing immediate financial support for South Australians unable to work due to the lockdown.
“We hate putting these restrictions in place,” Premier Marshall said. “But we believe we have just one chance, one chance to get this right. “We know these restrictions will have a very heavy toll on individuals and businesses here in South Australia. “We do not take these
decisions lightly, but we also need to get the balance, right. “If we let this run for too much longer, we could be in an extended lockdown situation in South Australia. That’s something that we have always wanted to avoid.”
Local businesses that are offering takeaway meals will still be able to operate, including cafes and restaurants that were quick to pivot and operate differently when level 4 restrictions were announced. Many of them took to social media after the announcements, looking to clear existing stock in the lead up to the 6pm lockdown.
At time of writing, ConfessionsHQ was still assessing whether it would remain open and offer takeaway to patrons, but its owner Don Pratt, had a message for the local community. “Like everyone, we look forward to these current restrictions being behind us,” Mr Pratt told The SE Voice. “It’s never an easy time for individuals and small businesses and we feel for those unable to trade. Stay safe, keep strong and support local.”
Visit: www.covid-19.sa.gov.au/restrictions-and-responsibilities/ activities-and-gatherings to assess what activities are currently restricted.
