SA COVID-19 cluster expected to grow

South Australia’s COVID-19 cluster is expected to grow after jumping from six to 12 cases as more exposure sites are also identified.

Five of the latest cases are linked to the Tenafeate Creek winery at Yattalunga, north of Adelaide, with the sixth, a child under five, linked to The Greek restaurant in the city where a number of infected people dined over the weekend.

One of the cases from the winery, a man in his 40s, also attended a school at Gawler on Monday raising concerns for other staff and students.

Chief Public Health Officer Nicola Spurrier says with multiple cases linked to both the winery and the restaurant, both are considered superspreader sites.

Wednesday’s rise in cases came a day into SA’s week-long statewide lockdown.

The number of potential exposure sites has climbed well above 50, mostly in Adelaide’s north and northeastern suburbs.

Late Wednesday night, SA Health identified new sites linked to positive cases of COVID-19 in Elizabeth, Fairview Park, Holden Hill, Seacliff, Surrey Downs, Evanston, Greenwith, Modbury and Gawler.

The cluster has also prompted a surge in testing with almost 13,000 conducted on Tuesday.

Premier Steven Marshall says authorities will do everything they can to increase testing resources amid reports of long lines forcing some to wait for more than 10 hours.

Mr Marshall said officials were “pulling every single lever possible” to increase capacity with Defence personnel, both local and interstate, to help and interstate nurses and doctors to lend further assistance.

Changes will also include the opening of a dedicated facility for those people directed to get tested and enter home quarantine and the publishing of estimated wait times for all of SA’s more than 80 testing sites.

“We don’t want people angry and frustrated with delays. We are ramping up capacity across testing sites,” the premier said.

“We’ve got one shot to stop this outbreak dead in its tracks.

“We’ve got a chance to nip this in the bud. We don’t want to have an extended lockdown in South Australia.”

SA’s virus cluster is linked to an 81-year-old man who recently arrived in Australia from Argentina and was quarantined in Sydney before travelling to Adelaide, where he tested positive.

Genomic testing has confirmed the man became infected while in Sydney, not while in Argentina.

During the week-long lockdown, which started on Tuesday evening, South Australians will only be allowed out for five reasons - to provide essential care, to seek medical assistance, to buy essential food and other goods, for essential work, or to exercise for up to two-and-a-half hours.

They must also wear masks when outside their homes.

Schools have closed along with most retail outlets and all construction work has ceased.

So far about 6000 people have been forced into home quarantine after visiting potential exposure sites.