Masks return in WA after Covid-infected man visited several locations including Geisha Bar and Perth Mess Hall

A person infected with Covid-19 visited a nightclub and other venues in Perth, sparking concerns of community spread for the first time in months.

Western Australia has avoided going into a lockdown before Christmas, but masks will return after a man infected with Covid-19 visited multiple spots across Perth, including shops and nightclubs.

From 6pm on Thursday until at least 6am on Tuesday, people in the Perth and Peel regions will be forced to wear a mask.

It will be mandatory in all public indoor settings, including workplaces, shopping centres, hospitality venues and public transport.

The mask mandate will not apply at home or for people doing vigorous indoor exercise, but it is recommended outside when you cannot physically distance.

“We are urging people just to use common sense,” Premier Mark McGowan told reporters on Thursday afternoon.

Large public events, such as music festivals, will be cancelled, while nightclubs will also be closed and all dancing will be banned except for weddings.

The mask rules will also apply to anyone who has been in Perth or Peel since December 16 and is now in a different part of the state.

“I know this is not the news we wanted to hear two days before Christmas, but unfortunately this is the reality of Covid-19,” Mr McGowan said.

Premier Mark McGowan addressed reporters on Thursday afternoon to say masks would return. Picture: Jackson Flindell/The West Australian

“No matter how hard our border controls, the virus can sneak into WA. We now need to face the potential of community transmission in Perth and Peel.

“That’s why I’m asking everyone to please do the right thing over this period. While our contact tracers and testing staff do their work, we all need to do our bit.”

In a social media post earlier on Thursday, Geisha Bar in Northbridge confirmed they were among the venues that had been contacted by health authorities.

“We’ve been contacted by WA Health and we’ve been informed that Geisha Bar was an exposure site on Saturday night/Sunday morning between the hours of 12am and 3am,” they wrote.

“We are working with WA Health to provide all contact registers and we are waiting on further instructions.”

Mr McGowan fronted the media after reports emerged of the virus risk, confirming the new case was a 25-year-old man from France who arrived in WA from Queensland on December 12 just one hour before the border rules were strengthened.

“He felt sick on Sunday and got tested yesterday. The result came through this morning and it was a strong positive,” Mr McGowan said.

“It is unlikely to be the Omicron strain and therefore more likely to be the Delta variant.”

WA has recorded a new local case of COVID-19, related to a backpacker from Queensland.

A number of potential exposure sites have been identified across Perth, including in Mirrabooka, Joondalup, Girrawheen, Perth and the CBD, Subiaco, Northbridge and Scarborough. pic.twitter.com/gMx8E9cqJ7

— Mark McGowan (@MarkMcGowanMP) December 23, 2021

The man’s girlfriend is also symptomatic, and she has been tested and moved into hotel quarantine

Mr McGowan said the unvaccinated man had been living with four other people at a house in Girrawheen.

They had been camping south of Perth but had since been contacted. They are being tested and moved into hotel quarantine.

Mr McGowan said authorities had identified several exposure sites, including an Aldi, Vinnie’s and Kmart in Mirrabooka.

A McDonald’s eatery in Girrawheen, Perth Mess Hall, the Connections Nightclub in Northbridge, a Dan Murphy’s store in Joondalup, Palace Cinema at Raine Square and the Bloody French restaurant in Subiaco are also among the sites.

The full list of exposure sites in WA can be found here.

Mr McGowan said WA had avoided a lockdown due to the state’s high vaccination rate.

But he said there were concerns because the man had been infectious in the community for some time and visited busy places.

WA has not had cases of community transmission since June.

Originally published as Masks return in WA after Covid-infected man visited several locations including Geisha Bar and Perth Mess Hall