Perth to enter three-day snap lockdown as new community COVID-19 case detected
Perth and Peel will enter a three-day snap lockdown after a Melbourne man spent five days in the city while potentially infectious with COVID-19.
The friend who he was staying with has now also tested positive.
The 54-year-old man arrived in Perth from Shanghai, China, on April 3 and left hotel quarantine on April 17, after testing negative to COVID-19 on his Day 12 test.
He then stayed with a friend and her family in the Perth suburb of Kardinya and visited various locations including a restaurant, a swimming pool and a university college before flying to Melbourne on April 21.
Premier Mark McGowan said one of the people he had been staying with has today returned a positive COVID-19 test, with health authorities still awaiting results from other family members.
Anzac Day marches and other events across the two regions have been cancelled and residents will only be able to leave their homes for one of four essential reasons.
From 6pm this evening, masks will be mandatory for everyone over the age of 12.
Then from midnight, people are only permitted to leave home for work, essential shopping, healthcare, and exercise and places of worship, pubs, clubs, bars, gyms, cinemas, entertainment venues, libraries and outdoor recreational facilities will be shut down.
Cafes and restaurants will be able to provide takeaway only.
No visitors will be permitted in hospitals or aged care. Weddings and funerals can go ahead, but with a 100-attendee capacity.
Residents living outside the restricted Perth and Peel regions will only be allowed to enter to provide essential services or if they are returning residents.
The Western Force’s rugby union local derby with the Perth Wildcats this evening will go ahead as normal with the mask requirement in place, but from midnight sporting events will not be permitted to host fans.
Premier Mark McGowan confirmed that Anzac Day dawn services would not go ahead, encouraging residents to instead participate in marking the event from their driveways.
“I encourage everyone to take part in the driveway dawn service again this year, and I will do that again,” he said.
“We will monitor this very closely here on and continue to assess the situation as more information comes to light.”
The news comes just hours after it was revealed a Melbourne man has tested positive to COVID-19 after returning from 14 days of quarantine at the Mercure Hotel, where the virus has spread between guests.
He was declared a close contact and directed to isolate as he had been staying in a room adjacent to a positive case.
All passengers on board the flight he caught from Perth – Qantas flight QF778 – have been deemed close contacts and directed to self-isolate for 14 days.
It brings the total number of locally-acquired cases associated with the hotel outbreak to four.
The original pair that sparked an investigation by WA health authorities – a mother and her young child – tested positive on April 16 while still quarantined at the Mercure Hotel.
Mr McGowan said there were 16 others staying on that floor of the Mercure Hotel during the danger period, 13 of whom have so far returned negative test results.
The premier has requested Prime Minister Scott Morrison reduce WA’s international arrivals cap from 1025 a week to 512 a week for the next month.
Where the Melbourne COVID-19 case visited in Perth
The COVID-19 case that has sparked WA’s snap three-day lockdown was moving in the Perth community for several days while presumed to be infectious.
- Premier Mark McGowan said on April 17, the man stayed with a friend and her two children in Kardinya.
- On April 18, he visited a swimming pool in the southern suburbs.
- He also visited Leeming, Northbridge, and stayed at St Catherine’s College.
- On April 19, he visited Northbridge again, and once more spent the night at St Catherine’s.
- On April 20, he visited Kings Park and Northbridge.
- On April 21, he had breakfast at St Catherine’s, and was driven to the airport, where he boarded flight QF778 to Melbourne.
Mr McGowan said more specific details of danger areas and times would be released shortly, and anybody who had been to the locations would need to be tested and isolate until they return a negative result.
