Alleged Covid positive nightclubbing teen charged

The 19-year-old from Kensington Park was charged with failing to comply with directions under the Emergency Management Act on Tuesday.

He allegedly entered the Hindley St club called Loverboy about 10.45pm on December 17 instead of quarantining after receiving a message from SA Health that he had returned a positive test 25 minutes earlier.

The eastern suburb teen was later put into Tom’s Court — the state’s dedicated Covid positive medi hotel — to complete his isolation, and about 150 staff and revellers also went into quarantine after the venue was declared a close contact exposure site.

Fully vaccinated attendees would have exited isolation on Christmas Eve but those who weren’t missed Christmas festivities and would still be quarantining until New Year’s Eve.

At the time, SA Police said they were investigating the incident.

“If you receive any advice, whether it be a telephone call or text message … then you should follow the health advice,” Police Commissioner Grant Stevens said, speaking generally.

In a statement, Loverboy’s management said it was forced to close over what would have been the busiest week of the year.

“Our business is no stranger to being closed — we’ve had to do it a lot over the past two years — but now … we have to close our doors for the busiest week of the year, and the majority of our staff and patrons will be opening presents in isolation,” they said.

The young man was refused police bail and is due to appear in Adelaide Magistrates Court on Wednesday.

If found guilty, the maximum penalty for breaching Covid-19 directions is a $20,000 fine or two years imprisonment.

Originally published as Alleged Covid positive teenager to front court over nightclubbing fiasco