South Australia has recorded its fourth-highest daily total of new COVID infections, with 4,474 people testing positive.
Key points:
- SA has recorded another spike in case numbers
- Three people with COVID have died, including a man in his 40s
- The state significantly relaxed restrictions at the weekend
It is the highest daily total of cases since January 17.
Today’s significant increase of 1,352 cases comes on the back of a spike in cases yesterday.
Three people with COVID 19 have died – two women in their 80s and a man in his 40s.
There are 132 people with the virus in hospital, including eight in intensive care and three requiring a ventilator.
There are now 19,541 active cases in the state.
Yesterday the state saw a 49 per cent increase in the number of PCR tests conducted, amid reports of long waits at testing sites overnight.
South Australia scrapped a number of COVID restrictions at the weekend, taking the state back to its most relaxed level since the start of the pandemic.
The changes came in time for the Adelaide Cup long weekend and during the peak of the state’s festival season.
Spike in cases two days out from state election
The rising case numbers also come days before South Australians are due to head to the polls on Saturday.
Extra measures have been put in place to ensure people in quarantine can still take part in the state election.
Positive cases and close contacts who are in isolation on Saturday can register to collect a ballot paper from a PCR or rapid antigen testing site.
But those who find themselves unexpectedly in hospital on Saturday will not be able to vote.
Due to COVID, there will be no voting facility set up in hospitals this year, meaning patients who have not voted early will be considered exempt.
Patients in long stays in hospital have already been supported to register for a postal vote.
As many as 850 patients across the state relied on hospital polling booths at the last election.
James Trebilcock from Electoral Commission SA (ECSA) said the commission and SA Health made the joint decision to not visit SA hospitals this year.
“Given the fact that hospitals are a high-risk environment, the decision was made that we wouldn’t be visiting those locations just for the safety of our staff, patients and the staff in hospitals,” Mr Trebilcock said.
Mobile polling booths in homelessness centres, disability care and aged care centres will also be absent at this election, but ECSA said vulnerable centres have already been assisted with postal voting applications.
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