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ABC News
ABC News
Health

New SA Premier Peter Malinauskas meets with COVID leadership team to discuss announcement for Tuesday

New SA Premier Peter Malinauskas is expected to make an announcement on COVID rules on Tuesday. (ABC News: Shamsiya Mohammad)

New South Australian Premier Peter Malinauskas is expected to make an announcement on Tuesday after a lengthy meeting on Monday afternoon with the leadership team behind the state's COVID-19 strategy.

Police Commissioner Grant Stevens and Chief Public Health Officer Nicola Spurrier sat down with Mr Malinauskas for a lengthy briefing on the COVID-19 situation in South Australia on Monday.

"It was a great opportunity to provide a briefing to the new Premier," Mr Stevens said after the two-and-a-half hour meeting.

"We spoke about how the Emergency Management Act is operating. He's keenly interested in the current status [and] there's a range of different options and activities that were contemplated and discussed.

"But I do understand there will be further information being made available tomorrow. There will be a press conference.

"This is very early days for the new government and most of the day was about briefing [the new Premier] so what comes out of these briefings will be elaborated on tomorrow."

The trio will meet again ahead of Tuesday's press conference.

Mr Stevens also noted that Tuesday would be two years to the day since the emergency declaration was enacted.

South Australia recorded another 3,121 COVID cases on Monday, a slight decline on the previous day’s numbers.

There have been no new deaths.

There are 150 people with COVID-19 in hospital, including nine in intensive care.

Earlier, the legal challenge launched by benched AFLW footballer Deni Varnhagen against the state's vaccine mandate was pushed back for two weeks because of COVID-19.

The Supreme Court heard the state's legal team had been struck by family close contact rules, and the Solicitor General was also awaiting PCR results.

Benched footballer Deni Varnhagen is challenging the State Government's vaccine mandates in the Supreme Court. (ABC News)


AFLW player and nurse Ms Varnhagen is among four government workers challenging the government's COVID vaccine mandates.

Simon Ower QC, who is representing the four government workers, told the court that his team had no choice but to accept the delay.

“There is some concern that if this adjournment is granted, the litigation will have no utility in that the State Coordinator is on the record to say that he may not be expanding the state declaration emergency beyond April 2,” Mr Ower said.

He said the possible review of the emergency declaration would  effectively "rob" his clients of their day in court.

Once the declaration ends, COVID vaccinate mandates will effectively disappear.

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