AN entire state in Australia was put into lockdown after a pizza restaurant worker lied to contract tracers.
South Australia was plunged into its severest coronavirus lockdown so far after officials were wrongly led to believe a man was infected with a highly contagious form of the virus with a much shorter incubation period.
State Premier Steven Marshall said today the six-day strict lockdown would be lifted earlier than expected, at midnight on Saturday, as the virus was not as contagious as they had initially thought.
However, Marshall added there was still a “dangerous” active cluster in the Parafield area of northern Adelaide with 25 infections and around 4,500 close contacts in quarantine.
Just over 1.7million people live in the state, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics.
A security guard at a quarantine hotel, who also worked part-time at the Woodville Pizza Bar, became infected through a returned traveller from the UK.
A second worker, who was not identified by the authorities, and who worked at another quarantine hotel in the city was also infected.
Authorities said the man had told contract tracers he had only purchased a pizza from the bar, when he in fact had worked several shifts there.
As he had told them he had only been buying pizza the authorities thought he had contracted Covid-19 from a very short exposure to the virus and assumed he must have been exposed to a highly contagious strain.
Marshall said in a news conference in Adelaide on Friday: “Had this person been truthful to the contact tracing teams, we would not have gone into a six-day lockdown.”
Contact tracers are now looking for a new group of people to isolate who have come into contact with the man.
Marshall added: “There is an absolute need for us to move quickly over the next 24-36 hours to identify and locate these people so we know we have eliminated the risk of this particular strain spreading further into the community.”
The truth only emerged after a team reviewed the comments the man originally made to the contact tracing team, and weren’t satisfied with his explanation.
The review team then re-interviewed the man, who then finally disclosed he had worked several shifts at the pizza bar, South Australia Police Commissioner Grant Stevens said at the press conference.
Premier Marshall said the man’s motivation had not been established.
“There is simply no mechanism for us to actually take any further action,” Marshall said.
Authorities are still trying to locate thousands of people who may have had “dangerous contact” at the Woodville Pizza Bar.
The state’s chief public health officer, Nicola Spurrier, also warned that the number of cases in South Australia would rise over the next couple of days.
Meanwhile locals have become angered over the actions, causing cops to patrol outside the pizza bar.
The restaurant’s Facebook page has been bombarded with angry comments over the irresponsible actions.
“How utterly ashamed you should all be. Hope you sleep well at night knowing what you’ve done,” one wrote.
“You lied and caused the harshest lockdown the world has seen so far .. imagine that,” another said.
“You’re the worst someone can get. I hope your business shuts down forever and never sells another pizza again. Burn in hell. You knew they lied so that makes you just as bad. Adelaide’s lowest of lows,” commented another.
