Perth and Peel COVID-19 lockdown reaches third day as WA awaits case numbers - ABC News

As Perth and the Peel region enter a third day of lockdown, residents and businesses are anxiously waiting to find out whether the snap shutdown will end tomorrow as scheduled.

Key points:

• The Perth and Peel lockdown is due to end at 12:01am on Tuesday
• However, the WA Premier says some measures will remain
• More potential exposure sites are likely to be revealed

To date, two people have been confirmed to have contracted COVID-19 via community transmission, after a Victorian man likely became infected while in Perth hotel quarantine.

A three-day lockdown was announced on Friday after the man — a returned overseas traveller — tested positive when he landed in Melbourne, having just completed 14 days of hotel quarantine in Perth and spending five days in the community before flying to Victoria.

A woman from Kardinya, in the city's south — a friend of the man, who he stayed with while in Perth — returned a positive rapid test result on Friday.

The State Government says some lockdown measures will likely remain after Monday.(

ABC News: Andrew O'Connor

)

The next day, a man in his 40s known as case 986 — who visited a restaurant on the list of potential exposure sites attended by the Victorian man and the woman — became the second known case of community transmission.

A total of 359 close and casual contacts of the confirmed cases have been identified to date. 

New potential exposure sites were revealed on Sunday, including a childcare centre in Landsdale, where a paediatric testing clinic has been established.

Case 986 visited the childcare centre on April 20, 21 and 22.

Other locations in Joondalup, Alexander Heights, Wangara, Canning Vale, Kardinya, Bentley and Morley were added to the WA Health Department's list on Saturday night.

'Too early to predict' lockdown end

On Sunday, West Australian Premier Mark McGowan said it was too early to know whether the lockdown would end tomorrow as planned.

Mr McGowan and Health Minister Roger Cook are due to meet with health officials this morning to make a decision on whether to extend lockdown measures.

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"Right now, it's too early to predict what will happen come Tuesday," he told reporters yesterday.

"We'll get health advice [on Monday] morning, but I think people should get used to the prospect that there'll be some further measures that are continued."

Mr McGowan said he expected more potential exposure sites to be added to the list as new information emerged.

More than 100 contact tracers are working to identify close and casual contacts of the three cases.

Australian Medical Association President Omar Khorshid said he believed the lockdown would continue after the scheduled deadline, as "it will be a little more time before we're absolutely certain we're in the clear".

"If there is something to be upset about, [it's the] failure again of hotel quarantine," Dr Khorshid told Channel 9's Today program.

"These facilities are not built for these purposes, they're not perfect.

"We agree with Premier McGowan [that] more specific facilities should be made available."

Long weekend travellers 'doing the right thing': Minister

Only essential travel is permitted in Perth and the Peel region until 12:01am on Tuesday. 

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However, as the lockdown did not take effect until Saturday morning, many people retained their long weekend plans, leaving the city to visit regional centres.

On Sunday, Mr Cook defended the government's decision to allow people to leave Perth, saying while the State Solicitor's office worked "swiftly" following the lockdown decision, legal instruments took time to arrange.

He also said the Premier had "discouraged" people from travelling ahead of roadblocks being established.

Roger Cook says "by and large" Perth travellers to regional centres have been abiding by the rules.(

ABC News: Rhiannon Shine

)

Mr Cook added that "by and large", people from Perth and Peel were "doing the right thing" in regional locations.

"We're receiving reports that people are heeding to the appeal to wear masks when they're away down south and we're pleased that that's the case," he said. 

"But obviously, we're working with an evolving situation. We had to move fast and swiftly and those directions were clarified [on Saturday]."

Meanwhile, the Premier again urged the Commonwealth to support states with quarantine arrangements, describing the hotel quarantine system as "not sustainable".

From Thursday morning, WA's international arrivals cap will be halved to 512 arrivals per week until May 30.

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2021-04-25 19:15:30Z
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