Photo taken on Nov. 18, 2020 shows people in cars waiting for COVID-19 testing in Adelaide, Australia. Premier of South Australia state Steven Marshall has announced a strict six-day lockdown in an attempt to prevent the spread of coronavirus in the state. (Xinhua)
CANBERRA, Nov. 18 (Xinhua) -- The Premier of South Australia (SA) state Steven Marshall has announced a strict six-day lockdown in an attempt to prevent the spread of coronavirus in the state.
Marshall announced on Wednesday that from Thursday on, schools, universities and hospitality venues will be closed across the state.
Supermarkets will remain open but only one person from a household will be allowed to attend per day and exercise outside of the home will be banned.
Face masks will become mandatory at all times outside of home.
Marshall said that the lockdown would act as a "circuit breaker," allowing authorities to accurately gauge the extent of the outbreak without risking further spreading.
As of Wednesday afternoon 23 confirmed cases of COVID-19 have been linked to the state's cluster.
More than 50 potential transmission sites have been identified by authorities, forcing more than 4,000 South Australians into quarantine or home isolation.
"We are going hard and we are going early. Time is of the essence and we must act swiftly and decisively," said Marshall.
He said that the lockdown, which is similar to that enforced for more than 100 days in Melbourne as it fought a devastating second wave of infections, would allow a contact tracing blitz to protect vulnerable South Australians.
"We have caught this cluster very early. We know where the links to this cluster are," Marshall said.
"We have an opportunity to stop the spread of this disease and to stamp out this cluster.
"Pausing community activity will significantly reduce the risk of the virus spreading further."
