South Australians who test positive to COVID-19 will be supported at-home by remote monitoring and online support from qualified health staff, enabling the vast majority of people to be safely cared for at home.

Premier Steven Marshall said that with the vast majority of COVID-19 cases experiencing mild to moderate symptoms, providing support to people in their home was more convenient, comfortable and safe for the patient.

“These extra supports are another enabler for us to safely open up our borders, and in doing so reunite South Australians with family, friends and colleagues from interstate while further protecting local jobs and boosting our already strong economy,” Premier Marshall said.

“There are more South Australians employed now than ever before in the history of the state and the next phase of our COVID-Ready plan will continue to ensure we keep our state safe and our economy strong.

“Once we start to see COVID cases in South Australia, we will be ready to manage the vast majority of active cases, their families, and close contacts, from the comfort of their home.”

The HealthCheck SA app has been built to safely manage up to 50,000 people, which will include active cases, their families and close contacts, linking them to health and wellbeing supports to ensure they receive the care they need, when they need it.

The HealthCheckSA app will act as a toolkit and include a testing and quarantine schedule to help plan and manage time spent in quarantine, with multiple randomised location check-ins, daily symptom checks and health and wellbeing resources.

People being cared for at home will be monitored centrally by qualified health staff from the COVID Response Care Team (CRCT).

The team will monitor patients’ temperature and oxygen saturation through virtual clinical care equipment, such as oximeters and temperature probes, which will be provided to those at home who need it.

Fifteen hundred home monitoring kits are being made available for regional and rural South Australians to remain at home or in a supervised care facility, to avoid unnecessary transfers to Adelaide.