Fully vaccinated South Australians will undertake reduced quarantine if they are a close contact of a COVID-19 positive case, under new testing and quarantine requirements.
Premier Steven Marshall said that from 23 November, fully vaccinated South Australians will only need to quarantine for seven days, while unvaccinated people will need to quarantine for the full 14 days.
"South Australians rolling up to get vaccinated have put our state into an excellent position to be prepared for COVID-19 cases in our state," said Premier Marshall.
"The State Liberal Government's strong COVID-19 response has protected local jobs and kept South Australians safe and while we know we will see COVID-19 cases in the community, fully vaccinated people will no longer face long periods in quarantine if they come into close contact with a positive case.
"Achieving high vaccination rates is a key part of our strong plan to be COVID-ready and South Australia's pandemic control going forward. Not only will it reduce time in quarantine, it is the best way for people to protect themselves, their loved ones and the community from this nasty disease.
"The message couldn't be stronger – there has never been an easier time for South Australians to roll up their sleeve and get vaccinated, with thousands of walk-ins and appointments available at one of the many vaccination clinics, GPs or pharmacies across the state."
"As we safely transition into the next phase of our COVID-ready plan, we have also made 392 extra beds and treatment spaces available and are recruiting up to 1920 doctors, nurses, ambulance officers and health staff so you will always be able to get the care you need, when you need it."
Updated testing and quarantine requirements also redefine who is classified as a close and casual contact, with fully vaccinated casual contacts only isolating until they receive their first negative test result.
Minister for Health and Wellbeing Stephen Wade said the vaccine reduces the risk of both spreading and catching the disease, allowing for lighter requirements on vaccinated people who are determined to be a close or casual contact.
"We know the vaccine reduces the spread of COVID-19, so fully vaccinated individuals are at less risk of catching the disease when passing through shopping centres, or when physically distanced while ordering a coffee," said Minister Wade.
"During the height of the Modbury cluster, around 29,000 South Australians were forced into 14 days quarantine, but thanks to the many South Australians rolling up to get vaccinated we will no longer need to quarantine such large groups of people in similar circumstances.
"There have never been more reasons to roll-up and get vaccinated. Every dose gets us closer to fully vaccinating our community aged 12 and over, which means we can further ease restrictions and have less reliance on other public health control measures going forward."
Chief Public Health Officer, Professor Nicola Spurrier, said testing, tracing, isolation and quarantine will continue to play a very significant role when our borders open and we have COVID in our state.
"Our contact tracing team are 'match-ready' to carry out their vital work with contact tracing and outbreak control as we know this is a key preventative measure to limit infections, illness and the impact on our health care system," said Professor Spurrier.
"The team will continue to get in touch with all individuals who have come into contact with a case to inform them if they are a close or casual contact and what is expected of them.
"While it's fantastic we are able to reduce quarantine requirements for fully-vaccinated people, we will still require quarantine of close contacts and isolation of cases to stop the chains of transmission.
"QR check-ins will be more important than ever, as will wearing masks and keeping up individual COVID-safe behaviours.
"This includes physical distancing, washing your hands, staying at home if you are sick and getting tested for COVID-19 as soon as possible if you have any symptoms."
More information on testing and quarantine requirements for contacts of a COVID-19 case can be found here.
