Brickbat: Half-Baked

Officials in South Australia locked down the entire state after a man told them he got the coronavirus after picking up a takeout order at a pizza restaurant in an Adelaide suburb. Fearing they had a superspreader event on hand, authorities even banned outdoor exercise and dog walking. But three days into the lock down, officials lifted it. It turned out the man had lied. He actually worked at the restaurant along with a security guard who had tested positive for the virus. The guard also worked at a hotel where people who have tested positive for the disease as well as travelers entering South Australia must quarantine. "We were operating on a premise that this person had simply gone to a pizza shop, very short exposure, and walked away having contracted the virus," said South Australia police commissioner Grant Stevens. "We now know they are a very close contact of another person who has been confirmed as being positive with COVID."