'Biggest threat we've had': South Australia premier defends 'harsh' lockdown as state begins six day stay at home order
South Australia is taking "proactive" measures to "stay ahead" of the coronavirus outbreak, despite criticisms the state's six-day lockdown is extreme.
Premier Steven Marshall admitted the lockdowns were "quite different" to others here in Australia and the rest of the world but insisted they were necessary.
"It's really a circuit breaker we need to get on top and stay on top of this cluster before it turns into a very dangerous situation," Mr Marshall told Today.
READ MORE: All your South Australia coronavirus lockdown questions answered
South Australia Premier Steven Marshall says the state's tough lockdown was necessary to stamp out the virus. Nine / Today
"We know that being indecisive at a time like this really plays into the hands of this disease.
"That's why we have taken this stance. We want to have Christmas in South Australia. We want to make sure we stamp out this particularly nasty strain.
"It's the biggest threat that we've had in South Australia."
From midnight local time (12.30am AEDT) a raft of new restrictions came into force that are even harsher than those seen in Victoria during its outbreak.
Shoppers line up at supermarkets hours before a six-day lockdown comes into force in South Australia. Kelly Barnes/Getty Images
They include the closure of all schools and universities, pubs, cafes, takeaway food shops, factories and the construction industry.
Aged care and disability residential care are in lockdown.
Supermarkets, petrol stations and pharmacies will remain open but just one person per household is allowed to leave home each day.
While the latest numbers have not been released for today, Mr Marshall expressed optimism about the result.
"The last update I had which was only a few hours ago, was that we are very hopeful that we have been able to nip that in the bud," he said.
Contact tracers were working hard to get on top of those who have been exposed to the virus or infected people, he said.
"It's a short a sharp- type of intervention," Mr Marshall said.
"We want to go hard, go early, but get out of it as quickly as we possibly can."
Testing sites had also seen massive boosts to their resources after days of long queues with people forced to wait hours to be seen.
Authorities were "throwing every single resource at this" he said.
"We want Christmas in South Australia. Nothing will stop us from doing everything we can to make sure that we can stamp this out.
"I guarantee we will not keep these restrictions in place for one day longer than we need to."
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