Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
ABC News
ABC News
Health
Rebecca Brice and Eugene Boisvert

Man aged in his 30s among latest COVID-19 related deaths recorded in South Australia

South Australia recorded 1,296 positive cases and there are 14,159 active cases. (ABC News: Lincoln Rothall)

There have been four COVID-19-related deaths in South Australia in the past 24 hours, including a man in his 30s.

A woman in her 60s, a woman in her 70s and a man in his 80s have also died.

South Australia recorded 1,296 positive cases — an increase on yesterday — and there are 14,159 active cases.

The number of people in hospital has dropped to 204, with 15 in intensive care.

Two people are on ventilators.

All but 3 per cent of the state's active cases are the Omicron variant, according to SA Health.

A total of 137 people with COVID-19 have died in South Australia since the start of the pandemic.

Government not budging on postal votes

A bill is expected to pass the South Australian parliament's upper house today to make provisions for electors confined to home isolation due to COVID-19 to vote remotely through phone voting.

The Premier said he would not reconvene the lower house to debate such a bill, and the government is already considering the issue, with the state coordinator having powers to make changes to allow people put into isolation from the Thursday before the election to still be able to vote.

The state election is due to be held on March 19.

Twenty-five lower house MPs have said they will turn up to parliament for work tomorrow morning just in case a vote does go ahead.

Pre-poll votes will not be counted on election night. (ABC News)

Speaker Dan Cregan said it was parliament's job to make the changes and he will be one of the 25 turning up tomorrow.

"Previous governments have gone to extraordinary lengths to ensure that Australians and South Australians have access to a ballot and we think parliament needs to sit for a particularly short period of time in the lower house to resolve this issue," he said.

A government spokesperson said the Electoral Commission had stated that even if legislation were changed, there not be enough time to sort out information technology issues associated with a massive increase in phone voting, which is normally limited to people with a vision impairment.

Treasurer Rob Lucas said Labor had introduced "unacceptable provisions" to legislation to help solve the issue last November, such as a reduction to in-person pre-poll voting and allowing registration up to election day.

"People will be voting in South Australia," the Premier said.

"We've got plans that are being considered at the moment, we're working very effectively with the Electoral Commission.

"We should have plans announced in coming days.

"Going back to parliament tomorrow will not allow phone voting.

"That should have been decided last year."

Data shows many older Australians haven't had their booster
Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.