Recently, South Australia locked down its population for several days in order to combat a supposedly stronger strain of the coronavirus. In reality, this measure was taken because of the lie of a pizza maker about the circumstances of his contamination.
Australia's Covid-19 toll today is 27,843 cases with 907 deaths, much less than some countries such as the United States, India and Brazil. However, as the BBC explains in an article of November 21, 2020, the province of South Australia has just undergone an episode of confinement. The authorities' goal was to fight what could have been a new, more virulent strain of the virus.
The fact is that this Australian province had been rather spared from the epidemic since April. On the other hand, the authorities have recently noted 36 new cases , raising fears of a resurgence of the virus. However, it was not these cases that prompted authorities to lock down the province. A man has indeed declared to have caught the virus because of a pizza.
More specifically, the person concerned explained that he had received a delivery of pizza from an establishment where another individual had tested positive. It was a security guard who had previously contracted the virus in a quarantine hotel. Thus, the authorities panicked and thought they were dealing with a more virulent strain of the virus, capable in particular of spreading on contact with a simple pizza box.
South Australia has just completed its six-day lockdown , but authorities also conducted an investigation. However, the man in question had deliberately lied. In reality, he also worked as a pizza maker in the same establishment and was therefore in contact with other infected people . Unfortunately, the damage already done. Indeed, shops, restaurants, schools, factories, etc. had closed and the two million inhabitants remained confined.
"We are absolutely furious with this person's actions and will be considering the consequences very carefully “, said Steven Marshall, head of state of South Australia.
However, local police have already stated that the man will not be prosecuted . Indeed, there is no sanction linked to such a lie. However, a special working group will be set up. The latter will be responsible for examining the circumstances of the incident and investigating whether any laws have been broken.
