South Australia should reach the peak of its current COVID wave in the coming days, according to modelling.
Police Commissioner and state emergency coordinator Grant Stevens told ABC Radio Adelaide this morning cases should peak within the next week.
"The modelling shows us that we should be starting to come down the other side of that peak by about the 9th, 10th, 11th of April," he said.
"... So we're aiming for probably the first week of April to see that peak and then start to come down the other side, and I hope it plays out that way."
South Australia recorded its second highest number of COVID-19 cases yesterday, with 5,496 new infections.
Despite the rise in case numbers, vaccination mandates for public school teachers and passenger transport sectors ended at midnight.
"Because we have such high numbers of staff that are vaccinated it means we can now manage those people as they come back into the workforce," Commissioner Stevens said.
Commissioner Stevens said SA Health were working with rideshare and taxi services to allow passengers to request vaccinated drivers as part of the booking platform.
Taxi Council SA president John Trainer said passengers can request a vaccinated driver when making a booking by phone, or can ask the driver directly when hailing a taxi.
But while people can choose a vaccinated driver, they will not have the same say over their children's teachers.
Department of Education chief executive Rick Persse acknowledged parents and students would not know if their teacher was vaccinated.
"It's just not practical across the state to have parents or students unilaterally deciding which teacher is acceptable for them for what class," he told ABC Radio Adelaide.
Unvaccinated teachers will not be able to work in areas with vulnerable student populations, but elsewhere they will return to the classroom from today provided they wear a mask and take a daily rapid antigen test.
"I'm really, really confident that our school communities and our principals and our preschool directors will welcome people back," Mr Persse said.
He said the small number of unvaccinated teachers returning to the classroom — about 83 of the 200 unvaccinated workforce - "doesn't move the dial" for teacher shortages the sector has been facing due to COVID pressures.
"It certainly won't hurt if those 83 came back to work but, as I say, it is a fraction of our teaching workforce," he said.
South Australia has 23 schools currently undergoing "circuit breakers" where students learn from home due to COVID outbreaks.
"That's not whole schools, that could be an individual class," Mr Persse said.
"It might be two classes where we've flipped to remote learning to have that circuit-breaker.
Ending vaccination mandate a 'shock' to some private schools
The decision to end the vaccine mandate has sent private schools into consultation on the issue, as required under their industrial framework.
Catholic Education SA will conduct a week of consultation while each independently run school will need to do its own consultation.
Association of Independent Schools of South Australia (AISSA) CEO Carolyn Grantskalns described the situation schools now found themselves in as a result of the mandate ending as "messy".
Ms Grantskalns said the decision yesterday to end vaccine mandates was a surprise and would have come as a "shock" to some independent school principals.
She said the required consultation process came at the end of the school term when staff were already "tired".
"This is an extra burden unfortunately," she said.
Birthing services suspended at Port Augusta Hospital due to staff shortages
Birthing services in Port Augusta have been suspended temporarily, due to staff being on unplanned sick leave.
The Flinders and Upper North Local Health Network announced on social media last night that no obstetric services will be available at Port Augusta Hospital until 8pm tomorrow.
Midwifery services will still operate and midwives will have access to remote obstetrics support.
Birthing services will remain available at Whyalla Hospital, about an hour's drive.
Any woman in labour or requiring clinical assessment has been asked to immediately contact Port Augusta Hospital to be assessed by a midwife, or call triple-0 in an emergency.
"We are contacting all women who might be impacted by this temporary suspension to make alternative birthing arrangements," the network said in a statement.
"Where possible, we will be supporting expectant mothers and their support person to relocate closer to an alternate SA Health birthing service."
