Friday, March 29, 2024

South Australia scraps lockdown

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South Australia is to lift a strict six-day coronavirus lockdown early, saying the restrictions were imposed after a man who tested positive misled contact tracers about his activities.

The shock announcement came just two days after the state government ordered people to stay at home and businesses to close to combat what it thought was a highly contagious outbreak of coronavirus.

The state premier, Steven Marshall, told a media conference in Adelaide that a man at a pizza bar linked to the outbreak had deliberately misled contact tracers, telling them he had only bought a pizza there, when he had actually worked several shifts at the outlet alongside another worker who tested positive.

The lie led the authorities to assume the man had caught the virus during a very short exposure, suggesting the strain was highly contagious.

While the outbreak was still worrying, Marshall said restrictions would be lifted early with a stay-at-home order ending at midnight on Saturday when most businesses would also be allowed to open.