‘Won’t be easy’: New mandate for WA students as Covid case numbers surge

West Australian school students as young as eight will need to abide by this Covid restriction as case numbers explode across the state.

Schoolchildren as young as year 3 will be made to wear face masks in Western Australia from Thursday despite mandates easing across the country.

As Covid-19 cases soar in the state, which has gone through the past two years of the pandemic relatively unscathed, Premier Mark McGowan has introduced tough restrictions.

From 12.01am on Thursday, anyone in year 3 and above will need to wear a mask while at school and when in indoor public venues.

Mr McGowan conceded it would not be easy but hoped the mandate would not be in place for too long.

“Certainly, it won’t be easy for teachers and aides, but I just ask them to bear with us,” Mr McGowan said.

“Hopefully, this is only for a month.”

He said he hoped the mask wearing would cut down the number of primary school children forced to quarantine.

WA Premier Mark McGowan has introduced tough new Covid-19 measures as case numbers balloon across the state. NCA NewsWire / Tony McDonough

Mask requirements for schoolchildren across the country have been eased somewhat since the eastern states hit the peak of the Omicron outbreak earlier this year.

In NSW, masks are no longer required in schools or in most other indoor settings, while in Victoria, students in years 3 to 6 still need to mask up while on campus.

Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews said that decision was based on low vaccination rates among five to 11 year olds.

In Queensland, all high school students need to wear a mask at all times unless they are seated or physically distanced until the restrictions ease this Friday. Primary school students are encouraged to wear a mask.

This is our WA COVID-19 update for Monday, 28 February 2022.
For official information on COVID-19 in WA, visit https://t.co/gIGAhoXMnmhttps://t.co/7dPMQoUTgFpic.twitter.com/Isj0bRXlom

— Mark McGowan (@MarkMcGowanMP) February 28, 2022

The introduction of the mask rules in WA comes as strict capacity limits will be introduced for hospitality, fitness and entertainment venues as well as museums, galleries and places of worship.

Major stadiums, theatres and cinemas will be capped at 50 per cent capacity.

Nightclubs will have a 2sq m rule with a capacity of 150 for seated service only. The 2sq m rule is also in place for beauty salons and hairdressers.

Mr McGowan said the measures would be reviewed before the end of the month.

“While we have avoided some of the tougher measures, this will still be an impact on many operators and on people’s lives, and for that I’m sorry,” he said.

The new restrictions come after the state recorded 1136 new local cases of the virus on Monday, with more than 5000 active cases.