People in Perth metropolitan area and Peel region must wear face masks in public from 6pm and enter into a lockdown from 12.01am Saturday, April 24, to limit any potential spread of COVID-19.
The new health measures have been introduced on the best of public health advice due to a fast evolving situation in Western Australia involving two COVID-19 positive cases.
The first positive case is a Victorian man, who had previously returned a negative result and completed 14 days of quarantine in Perth's hotel quarantine system, after returning from overseas.
The Victorian man had completed hotel quarantine at Mercure Hotel, and subsequently visited a number of locations before returning to Victoria. Details of the times and locations can be found here: https://healthywa.wa.gov.au/Articles/A_E/Coronavirus/Locations-visited-by-confirmed-cases.The Department of Health will continue to update the list of potential exposure locations and times.
A close contact of his, a woman who lives in Perth, has also tested positive to COVID-19.
These cases are linked to the Mercure Hotel intra-room transmission that was detected this week.
From 6pm, Friday, April 23 face masks will be mandatory at all times when outside of your place of residence, unless you're in a car with people you live with or doing vigorous exercise. People are encouraged to begin wearing masks immediately, where possible.
Children under 12 and those who are exempt are not required to wear masks.
Anyone who has travelled outside of the Perth metropolitan area and Peel region since Saturday, April 17, must wear face masks in public from 6pm tonight.
From 12.01am Saturday, April 24, until 12.01am Tuesday, April 27, a three-day lockdown will be introduced for the Perth metropolitan area and Peel region.
People will be required to stay at home unless they need to:
- work because they can't work from home or remotely;
- shop for essentials like groceries, medicine and necessary supplies;
- attend to medical or health care needs including compassionate requirements and looking after the vulnerable; and
- exercise with a maximum of four people, limited to one hour per day, and masks must be worn (except for vigorous exercise).
The following restrictions apply for the lockdown period from 12.01am Saturday, April 24, until 12.01am Tuesday, April 27:
- People can enter the Perth and Peel areas only to access or deliver essential health and emergency services and other essential requirements;
- Restaurants, cafés, pubs and bars to provide takeaway service only;
- Casinos, nightclubs, entertainment venues and public venues to close;
- Community sport is not permitted, however professional sporting events, with only players and officials, will be permitted;
- Events and functions are not permitted, with the exception of weddings and funerals which have a limit of 100 patrons, not including staff, and masks must be worn;
- No visitors will be allowed in homes, unless caring for a vulnerable person or an emergency;
- No visitors to hospitals or residential aged care and/or disability facilities, except for exceptional circumstances such as compassionate reasons and advocacy;
- Travel remains prohibited to some remote Aboriginal communities.
Western Australians are advised all public ANZAC Day services this weekend, including the traditional dawn service at Kings Park War Memorial, are cancelled.
Western Australians are encouraged to pay tribute by taking part in their own 'home' ANZAC Day Dawn Service by standing at the end of their driveways, or on their balconies, in quiet contemplation on Sunday, April 25.
Anyone who has been to one of the potential exposure locations will need to get tested and isolate until they return a negative test result.
If people are deemed a close contact by public health officials, they will be tested and required to self-quarantine for 14 days.
People are encouraged to get tested if they have symptoms and if people have been to an exposure site, they must go and get tested.
WA COVID clinic operating hours will be extended as part of a testing surge. Testing locations and times can be viewed here: http://www.healthywa.wa.gov.au/Articles/A_E/COVID-clinics
All these measures will be reviewed regularly and the Chief Health Officer will continue to monitor the serious situation and provide more ongoing advice.
As stated by Premier Mark McGowan:
"Western Australians have done so well to help keep each other safe throughout the pandemic.
"In light of this developing situation, it is absolutely critical that we stay home, maintain physical distancing and personal hygiene and get tested if you develop symptoms or you've been to an exposure site.
"This is a very serious situation. Each and every one of us has to do everything we personally can to help stop the spread in the community.
"I know this three-day short lockdown is difficult but it is critically important to give our contact tracers and health teams the time they need to ensure community spread is limited.
"Regrettably all planned public ANZAC Day services in Perth and Peel, including the Kings Park War Memorial dawn service, will no longer be able to go ahead this weekend.
"I encourage everyone in Perth and Peel to take part in a driveway dawn service again this year. I will be doing that again.
"I have also requested the Commonwealth halve our international arrivals cap for a month to help ease some pressure on our hotel quarantine system.
"We've maintained caution in abundance the whole way along this unpredictable COVID-19 journey. We need to stay the course together.
"Take care of your loved ones and be respectful of others including those who are working to keep essential services and supplies ticking over.
"We will provide further updates as they come to hand."
As stated by Health Minister Roger Cook:
"The Health Department's contact tracing team is pulling together a list of potential exposure sites to reflect where this positive case has been in recent days.
"We are scaling up our contact tracing and COVID testing teams, and obtaining CCTV vision to piece together more details.
"Now more than ever it is important that businesses ensure QR codes and contact register documents are clearly displayed and patrons must check-in using the SafeWA app or fill in the contact register.
"The precautions we are taking are safe and sensible."
Premier's office - 6552 5000
