Five new cases have been added to the Adelaide COVID cluster as health authorities scramble to contain the concerning outbreak.
Widespread testing and contract tracing is underway to contain the spread of the deadly virus as multiple states slam their borders shut to South Australia.
The additional cases have been linked to a large family, Federal Health Minister Greg Hunt said, taking the total number to 20.
“There are no cases of community transmission in South Australia outside of that cluster,” he told reporters on Tuesday afternoon.
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“We have seen widespread testing and South Australians have done a great job in presenting for testing and with encourage them to continue to do so.”
Mr Hunt warned the cluster could grow when Premier Steven Marshall updates figures on Tuesday afternoon.
The Health Minister said the slow increase in numbers is a positive sign the cluster could potentially be brought under control, but stressed “we are not out of the woods yet”.
“There is more to be done but we are in an extremely strong position.
“I have to say that South Australia as response is a model of early intervention and both the Prime Minister and myself have acknowledged that to our respective counterparts.”
Queensland, Western Australia, Tasmania and the Northern Territory have declared SA a coronavirus hotspot and shut its borders in recent days but Mr Hunt said this goes against the federal classification of the state’s handling of the cluster.
“Our message to the other states is please look at the results in SA,” he told reporters.
“Please make sure that your response is proportionate and what the Commonwealth has set out is enhanced border screening as an appropriate response and that is what New South Wales, Victoria and the ACT have said.”
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