Western Australia coronovirus update as at 21 July 2021

WA Health is reporting two new cases of COVID-19, as part of its daily reporting cycle. These cases – two crew members linked to the BBC California vessel – were confirmed yesterday but not included in the official count.

No additional crew members have returned positive results; the remaining four have tested negative.

The State's COVID total is now 1048.

WA Health is continuing to monitor 16 active COVID-19 cases: 10 linked to the BBC California that berthed at Fremantle Port on Tuesday, five cases in hotel quarantine and one who remains in a Perth hospital in a stable condition.

BBC California crew members who returned a positive COVID-19 test result remain onboard.

Three crew members who have returned negative results been transferred to hotel quarantine this morning (they will be added to tomorrow's hotel quarantine numbers).

The fourth crew member with a negative result will remain onboard because of a critical need for an engineer to be present on the vessel.

Protective measures are in place – he will remain isolated in a cabin on a separate deck to everyone else and will use PPE when on deck and in the engine room.

To date, 1023 people have recovered from the virus in WA.

Testing clinics

Yesterday, 951 people were swabbed at State-run clinics.

To date there have been 1,473,668 COVID-19 tests performed in WA. Of those, 178,613 were from regional WA.

A list of testing clinics is available on the HealthyWA website.

Vaccination

Yesterday, a record number of people received a COVID-19 vaccination - 13,577 people received a COVID-19 vaccination – 7899 of those were second doses.

For the latest WA vaccination figures, visit the COVID-19 Coronavirus: Vaccination dashboard (external site).*

Updated travel advice for South Australia

The State Government has also issued advice for travellers who have recently returned from South Australia, after a public health alert was issued yesterday, transitioning it to a 'low risk' jurisdiction. People must follow the advice below, effective immediately:

  • Before travelling to WA, complete a mandatory G2G PASS (external site) registration and declaration.
  • Complete a health screening on arrival.
  • Scan your G2G PASS and then verify you have suitable premises for self-quarantine.
  • If you have suitable premises, enter self-quarantine for 14 days. If not, you will be directed to enter a government-approved quarantine facility at your own expense for 14 days.
  • You must wear a mask from when you enter WA until you arrive at suitable self-quarantine premises or government-approved quarantine facilities. In addition, if travelling by air, you must also wear a mask on the flight while in WA airspace and while inside the airport (with some exceptions – e.g. children under the age of 12 are not required to wear a mask).
  • You must present for a COVID-19 test on Day 12 if still in WA.

The G2G Now (external site) app enables virtual check-ins during your quarantine once you have entered WA. Travellers from low risk jurisdictions are encouraged to download and use the app.

Anyone who has visited exposure sites (external site) in South Australia is required to be tested within 48 hours, quarantine for 14 days and get tested again at day 12.

Travel advice for Victoria

Victoria transitioned to a 'medium risk' jurisdiction (external site) last week following the latest health advice:

  • You are not permitted to enter Western Australia without an exemption (external site) through a G2G PASS (external site).
  • If permitted entry, you must self-quarantine at a suitable premises for 14 days. If a suitable premises is not available, you will be directed to a government-approved quarantine facility at your own expense.
  • Approved travellers are subject to a COVID-19 test within 48 hours of arrival and on day 12 of quarantine, or at any point when symptoms develop. A mask must be worn while travelling to and from a COVID Clinic.
  • You must wear a mask from when you enter WA until you arrive at a suitable self-quarantine premises or government-approved quarantine facilities. In addition, if travelling by air, you must also wear a mask on the flight while in WA airspace and while inside the airport (with some exceptions – e.g. children under the age of 12 are not required to wear a mask).
  • The G2G Now (external site) app enables virtual check-ins during your quarantine once you have entered WA. Travellers from medium risk jurisdictions are encouraged to download and use the app.

Travel advice for Tasmania

WA Health issued advice for travellers who have recently returned from Tasmania, after a public health alert was issued for parts of that state on 10 July.

The Tasmanian Department of Health has released a list of sites (external site) that were visited by a person who tested positive for COVID-19 two days after they left the state and arrived in London.

While the risk to the Western Australian community is considered extremely low, anyone who has recently arrived into WA from Tasmania and has been to one of the exposure sites during the relevant times is required to get tested within 48 hours and then present for 12-day testing.

Border controls

Information about border controls (external site) is available online.

Variants

To date, 106 cases of variant strains have been detected in Western Australia – 53 Alpha strain, 15 Beta strain, one Gamma strain and 37 Delta strain.

Visit WA Health's HealthyWA website for the latest information on COVID-19.

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