South Australia is set to beef up local COVID-19 restrictions after closing its borders to five jurisdictions to help prevent the virus spreading further.
Authorities are looking at both lowing capacity numbers at venues and home gatherings and also at mask-wearing rules after what Premier Steven Marshall described as a "significant deterioration" in Australia's fight against the pandemic.
On Sunday, SA closed its border to Queensland, WA, the NT and the ACT effective immediately after previously locking out travellers from NSW.
Chief Public Health Officer Nicola Spurrier said officials were particularly concerned that the cases of community transmission in other parts of the country involved the more transmissible Delta variant of the disease.
"This one is passing like wildfire," she said.
"At the moment we would say our community is a bit of a tinderbox and we are very concerned that if we get undetected cases it will take off very rapidly.
"This is an enormous wake-up call. This is the biggest threat in South Australia since the first wave."
Professor Spurrier said officials were considering revising the density requirement for venues such as restaurants, cafes and pubs and would also look at patron caps for particular events.
As well as the border closures, all Victorians will now need to be tested for the virus on the first day they arrive in SA.
However, there remain no restrictions for travellers from Tasmania.
Prof Spurrier urged anyone with even the mildest symptoms to get tested, with hopes of a significant increase in checks in the coming days.
She also called on everyone eligible to get vaccinated to make an appointment.
"If you had been sitting on the fence a bit about whether to get your vaccine or not, it is the time to get off that fence and roll your sleeve up and get vaccinated," she said.
SA currently has nine active coronavirus infections, all returned travellers in hotel quarantine.
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SA looks at local virus restrictions - The West Australian
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