SA's top health official apologises publicly to man

South Australia's top health official Professor Nicola Spurrier has apologised to a man for wrongly accusing him of breaking quarantine rules to go shopping.

On Sunday, Prof. Spurrier said she was concerned the man had broken COVID-19 quarantine protocol to go shopping throughout a number of locations in Adelaide's east.

But the man was only considered a casual contact of a known case and was not subject to a quarantine order.

Prof. Spurrier today said she rang the man to apologise.

READ MORE: South Australia reopens to Victoria

"If I have had miscommunication and provided that inaccurately, it is absolutely my responsibility to make an apology and I gave this person a call and I have to say, he was extremely gracious in accepting that apology," Prof. Spurrier said.

"We had a very nice conversation. He has got my number and we will keep up contact if need be.

"But he was actually very thankful that we had made that apology and cleared out and we will keep moving forward."

READ MORE: Urgent alert after positive COVID-19 case breached quarantine

The apology comes as South Australia records no new cases of COVID-19, with 11 cases still active in the state.

Oddly, the state's health authorities did not publicly report one new case of COVID-19 from November 15, which was in an overseas traveller returning to South Australia.

Prof. Spurrier said authorities were "so busy" with the Parafield Gardens cluster that the case was not publicly recorded.

READ MORE: Two new coronavirus cases reported in South Australia

Two young women enjoy a catch up on King William Road in Hyde Park in Adelaide.

"We were in the middle of this very serious cluster. We had an absolute focus on providing the public with the information they needed at the time so that as a society, we could get over this and look at Christmas in going back to normal," Prof. Spurrier said.

"Unfortunately, we have got this case that hasn't been on the public record."

Despite not being announced to media, the case was tracked internally and resolved.



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