Who’s a vital employee in South Australia? Authorities clarifies definition after COVID lockdown introduced

The South Australian authorities have clarified the definition of “essential worker” as the state tries to nip a cluster of COVID-19 cases in the bud with a snap lock.

After five cases of the Delta variant were discovered in Adelaide, strict restrictions will be imposed for one week on Tuesday from 6 p.m. onwards.

The fifth case, a man in his 60s, dined on Saturday night in a restaurant in Adelaide that had previously infected people.

The lockdown rules come into effect on Tuesday at 6 p.m.

South Australians are only allowed to leave for five reasons – important work, shopping for essential goods and services, medical reasons including COVID-19 vaccination and testing, care and exercise with people in the same household.

“The virus has no legs. It moves when people move, ”said Nicola Spurrier, Chief Public Health Officer.

“So if people stay, we’ll be able to keep track of things.”

On Tuesday, SA Health released a list of occupations that could be considered “essential” during the lockdown.

List of essential workers

The employees required to operate the following workplaces are considered indispensable:

• Grocery stores, supermarkets, butchers, bakeries, fruit and vegetable stores or fishmongers, including delivery services associated therewith
• Indoor or outdoor markets, but only for the purpose of selling food or fresh food and not for the purpose of selling or delivering food or beverages prepared on site (whether for consumption on site or to take away)
• Restaurants, cafes, bars, hotels, clubs or wineries, but only for the purpose of providing take-away food or drinks or a food delivery service
• Bottle shops
• Financial institutions
• mail department
• Newsagents
• Pharmacies
• Hardware shops
• Gas stations
• Distribution centers
• Retail employees who assist in the operation of online or telephone orders and the pickup or delivery of retail orders
• Pet stores
• Veterinary clinics and related services (e.g. for company visits and animal care services) when there is a real animal welfare problem or for the purpose of artificial insemination of an animal
• Slaughterhouses, meat, seafood or poultry processing plants

The Modbury COVID-19 Testing Clinic in Adelaide on Tuesday. Photo credit: Morgan Sette/AAP

Essential services

The following services are also considered essential:

• Fire services
• Ambulance service
• Emergency services
• Medical on-call services (including Royal Flying Doctor Services)
• South Australia Police, security and sheriff services
• State Emergency Services;
• Military and defense services deployed for activities in South Australia
• State and national security services
• Basic infrastructure and essential services (within the meaning of the Essential Services Act 1981) and other services necessary to maintain and protect human health, safety and wellbeing, including;
• Electricity, gas, water, sewage, sewage and liquid fuels and refinery operations
• Waste and recycling services
• Construction, maintenance and repair of essential infrastructure essential
• Critical repairs to premises that are required for emergencies or security
• Maintenance and security of food and beverage facilities and supplies in business premises or sports facilities;
• Greenkeeper services that are essential to maintaining a playing area in any sports facility
• Services necessary for the security of premises
• Mining services
• Locksmith services;
• Vehicle repair and mechanical services mechanical
• Roadside assistance
• National Heavy Vehicle Regulator compliance activities
• The provision of parking spaces for persons who work as authorized workers and supporting activities within the meaning of this definition
• Parliament and Parliamentary Services
• Government or local government services
• A person critical and involved in the state’s COVID-19 response, including hotel quarantine, testing, and vaccination services, is involved
• Court or tribunal services or services of comparable bodies
• Services related to the administration of justice
• Essential legal services that cannot be provided remotely or electronically
• Consular and diplomatic services
• Australian Border Forces and Commonwealth Law Enforcement and Intelligence Services;
• Journalism and media services;
• Specialized services in telecommunications businesses in support of telecommunications as a critical service during the COVID-19 pandemic
• Funeral directors and forensic transportation services
• Faith leaders broadcast services or ceremonies at places of worship
• A factory or facility that cannot be closed without causing damage or loss to facilities and equipment, only the operations necessary to prevent such damage or loss
• Urgent services required for the health and safety of people, animals or premises
• Public transportation, including taxis, ridesharing, and other public passenger transportation services
• Air transport
• Freight services
• Basic health services
• A blood bank or other banking service for the collection, storage and delivery of donated biological material;
• COVID-19 vaccination services
• Care services for people with special needs due to homelessness, old age, frailty, disability, illness, chronic health condition, or other basic support services (e.g. family violence and sexual assault services)
• Childcare, Early Childhood Education, and Elementary and Secondary School Services
• Maternal and child health workers providing necessary care to newborns or babies and children at risk;
• Basic child protection services
• Hotel, motel or other accommodation facility to provide accommodation for work purposes or essential services for those seeking protection
• Rest areas and rest stops

Essential production

The production and sale of the following goods and services are also considered essential:

• Groceries and groceries for sale through a supermarket, butcher, fruit and vegetable store, or fishmonger
• Spirits for sale in a space commonly known as a bottle shop
• Medical and pharmaceutical products
• Disabled and health equipment, mobility aids
• Commercial businesses that supply goods or services necessary to support a business activity conducted in accordance with this instruction or any related instruction in support of the export of goods and services from South Australia to implement measures to limit the spread of COVID-19
• Primary industry only to the extent that it is necessary for the adequate supply and supply of crops and animals with food

Basic health services

The following are considered essential health services:

• Emergency operations, procedures and medical advice to examine, diagnose and treat conditions where failure to comply with appropriate and safe measures results in the following: death, loss of limbs, permanent disability
• Non-emergency but urgent surgical interventions, procedures and medical advice to investigate, diagnose and treat medical conditions where non-compliance leads to a predictable and evidence-based outcome in a clinically reasonable time frame, as follows: otherwise, this would have prevented permanent disability if appropriate, a health measure would otherwise have prevented this if clinical evidence shows an increased risk of the type mentioned in paragraph, if an appropriate health measure were to be significantly delayed, all health services provided in a hospital, all health services provided by a general practitioner, all health services provided by a hospital radiology service (excluding routine screening services), procedures and surgical treatments performed by dentists in authorized public health centers, patients with obvious facial sc swelling due to infection, e.g. vestibular swelling (no trismus), facial swelling (with trismus), facial trauma, severe persistent pain
• Permitted procedures include: any IVF treatment cycle that a patient has started prior to starting this instruction, any procedure required to preserve eggs for future IVF, if health treatment makes the eggs no longer viable, surgical abortion, drugs – and alcohol services, the following related health services:

Key health professionals include:

• Allied health services provided by Allied health professionals who work as authorized personnel in hospitals with clinical intensive care or at the direction of the hospital
• Allied health services provided by resident health professionals who work in private practices and provide care through telemedicine and other virtual care options
• Student, Medical / Nursing / Midwife / Allied Health on mediation in hospitals or through telemedicine
• The following mental health services: hospital emergency or inpatient mental health services, health professionals providing mental health services in the hospital, private counseling psychiatric practices through telemedicine or face to face, allied health care professionals providing mental health services in community settings through telemedicine or face to face

Definition of immediate family

The South African government has also adopted the definition of “household partner” as a person who is a civil partner for the purposes of the Family Relationship Act 1975.

Immediate family means:

• Spouse or life partner
• One parent
• A grandparent
• A child
• A grandson
• A brother or a sister
• Spouse or life partner