People in the Perth metropolitan area and Peel region will enter a minimum four-day lockdown from 12.01am Tuesday, June 29 to limit any potential spread of COVID-19.
The immediate circuit breaker lockdown has been introduced on the best of public health advice due to a fast evolving situation in Western Australia following a third COVID-19 positive case.
The first positive case 1022, already announced, is now confirmed to have the highly infectious Delta strain through genome sequencing linked directly to the Sydney outbreak.
The second case 1023, linked to case 1022, has already been reported and announced today.
The third case 1024, linked to case 1022, has been confirmed positive tonight.
Exposure locations are being updated regularly so people are encouraged to check the information online at https://www.wa.gov.au
People will be required to stay at home unless they need to:
- work because it is not possible to work from home or remotely;
- purchase or provide essentials such as food, groceries, medicine and necessary supplies;
- attend medical or healthcare needs including a COVID-19 vaccination, and looking after the vulnerable; and
- exercise with a maximum of two adults from the same household (children under 18 years are not counted), limited to one hour per day within a five kilometre radius from home, and masks must be worn (except for vigorous exercise).
The following restrictions apply for the lockdown period:
- 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;
- beauty, nail and hair services to close;
- retail permitted but only for essential health services and essential goods such as supermarkets, pharmacies, hardware, petrol and others;
- public venues such as swimming pools and recreation centres to close;
- fitness venues including gyms, Pilates, yoga, dance studios to close;
- places of worship to close;
- community sport is not permitted;
- private outdoor gatherings are not permitted and events and functions are not permitted;
- weddings are restricted to five people - for compassionate reasons only;
- funerals are restricted to 10 people;
- no visitors will be allowed in homes unless it is for essential services, critical maintenance, caregiving and compassionate reasons or in an emergency;
- no visitors to residential aged care and/or disability facilities except for exceptional circumstances such as essential care, compassionate reasons, end of life and advocacy;
- no visitors to hospitals except for compassionate reasons, end of life, accompanying a child, supporting a partner giving birth;
- category 2 and 3 elective surgeries will be postponed until Friday July 9. People are urged not to contact hospitals directly as they will be contacted to reschedule their appointments;
- travel outside the Perth and Peel region is not permitted unless you are exempt to obtain or provide essential goods or services, or other compassionate and medical reasons; and
- travel remains prohibited to remote Aboriginal communities.
Schools, boarding schools and childcare centres in the Perth and Peel regions will remain open except for the three schools that have been directly impacted as they are a listed exposure site. Mask wearing rules apply.
Universities, TAFEs and training colleges will be closed unless for critical activities.
Unless exempt, people in Perth and Peel are required to wear masks outside of the home, at all indoor settings, on public transport, and outdoors at all times unless for vigorous exercise or you are travelling in your private vehicle with members of your household.
Anyone who has travelled outside of the Perth metropolitan area and Peel region since Sunday, June 27, 2021 must continue to wear face masks in public.
Anyone who has been to one of the potential exposure locations will need to get tested and quarantine as per the instructions they are given.
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 and private clinics will be extended as part of a testing surge. Testing locations and times can be viewed at 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:
"We now know we are dealing with the highly infectious and dangerous Delta strain, which is a new beast that has entered WA.
"Escalating to an immediate lockdown will help us break the circuit and give contact tracers an opportunity to track and trace so we can get on top of this situation sooner.
"I acknowledge lockdowns are frustrating but they are a necessary response to the threat we face.
"I am asking everyone to please do the right thing here and follow the health advice and instructions we are putting in place.
"The developments with the additional case is disappointing but we can take comfort in the fact we have acted quickly and always we have followed a careful and cautious approach which has worked.
"Western Australia, you have done it before, you have listened to the health advice and come together to keep each other safe, and to keep our State strong. Now it's time to do it again."
As stated by Health Minister Roger Cook:
"The next few days will be crucial for Perth and the rest of the State.
"Let's remember the basics that have kept us safe, as we enter into this lockdown.
"Practise good personal hygiene and continue to wear masks.
"If you are feeling at all unwell, or if you have been to an exposure site, quarantine and get tested.
"If you leave your home, use the SafeWA app or check in using contact registers.
"This is the key to solving the puzzle of finding the close and casual contacts on positive cases.
"Our contact tracing team needs this crucial information so that they can act fast and efficiently.
"We have been through this before together and we will get through it again together.
"We will do it with respect, patience and an abundance of common sense."
