NEW OUTBREAK IN NSW

SA closes border to NSW

22 December 2021

South Australia will require all arrivals from the greater Sydney area to quarantine for 14 days from midnight tonight, the state’s Chief Public Health Officer says.

According to the ABC, they will be required to have a coronavirus test three times — on arrival, on day five and on day 12.

Anyone who has been in Sydney’s Northern Beaches area will be barred from South Australia entirely.

People arriving from regional New South Wales will be required to have a test but do not need to isolate.

"My message to South Australians is with this increasing cluster in New South Wales … you must be very mindful about getting tested," SA Chief Public Health Officer Nicola Spurrier said.

Premier Steven Marshall said the new restrictions were being implemented to keep SA safe ahead of Christmas.

"We are trying to make sure that whilst we have a very merry Christmas here in South Australia, we also have a very safe Christmas," he said.

Border checkpoints have been set up — effective immediately — along the SA-NSW border, at Oodla Wirra, Yamba, Wentworth and Pinnaroo.

Testing stations will also be established at the four border checkpoints.

"We know that this is going to significantly affect Christmas travel plans, so we don’t take these decisions lightly," Mr Marshall said.

"But in this instance, we believe this is the best way that we can protect South Australia from any seeding into our state, especially as we lead up to Christmas."

Just under 2,000 tests were taken in South Australia on Saturday.

Professor Spurrier said "extensive testing" was still available across the state for people to get tested.

Testing stations would be re-established in regional areas to "assist with testing people from New South Wales as they come across the border".

SA Pathology staff were also at Adelaide Airport to test anybody flying into SA from NSW, starting on Sunday morning.

"We have increasing concern about the situation in New South Wales," Professor Spurrier said.

"But just to reiterate, in terms of the localisation of this, it is mostly in the Northern Beaches local government area.

"The New South Wales public health team are absolutely gold standard at doing their contact tracing, and I’ve been updated on a very regular basis and have spoken to them again this morning."

She reiterated that "quarantine does mean quarantine".

"Unfortunately, it will mean that the family will not be able to get together at Christmas, because we cannot take that risk."