WA’s Perth and Peel regions to go into lockdown following hotel quarantine blunder

Parts of Western Australia have been plunged into lockdown with people only allowed to leave homes for certain reasons. These are all the rules that begin tonight.

Parts of Western Australia are going into a lockdown after an outbreak of COVID-19 in hotel quarantine spread into the community.

Premier Mark McGowan made the announcement on Friday, saying that from midnight tonight the Perth and Peel regions would enter a three-day lockdown over the long weekend until midnight on Monday night.

“I know this is hard to take and I wish we didn’t need to be doing this but we can’t take any chances with the virus,” he told reporters.

Reasons to leave your house:

• Work because they cannot work from home or remotely;
• Shopping for essentials like groceries, medicine and necessary supplies;
• Medical or healthcare needs, including compassionate requirements and looking after the vulnerable;
• Exercise with a maximum of four people, limited to one hour per day, and masks must be worn unless it is rigorous exercise.

Masks will be mandatory from 6pm tonight but not for children aged under 12.

The Mercure Hotel in Perth is at the centre of the outbreak. Picture: Supplied

Places that will close during the lockdown:

• Pubs, bars and clubs, except for takeaway;
• Gyms and indoor sporting venues — no community sport is permitted;
• Playgrounds, skate parks and outdoor recreational facilities;
• Cinemas, entertainment venues and casinos;
• Large religious gatherings and places of worship;
• Libraries and cultural institutions.

People can only enter the Perth and Peel regions to access or deliver essential health and emergency services, and other essential requirements or returning residents.

No visitors will be allowed at hospitals, residential aged care or disability facilities unless there are exceptional circumstances.

Weddings and funerals will be permitted with a 100-person capacity, but masks must be worn.

“I know this three-day short lockdown is very, very difficult but I hope we can keep it to three days only,” Mr McGowan said.

“Give our contact tracers and health teams the time they need to ensure community spread is limited.”

The lockdown means Anzac Day Dawn Services will be cancelled in the Perth and Peel regions.

“I encourage everyone to take part in the driveway Dawn Service again this year,” Mr McGowan said.

The Premier said he had also contacted the Prime Minister to request the state’s international arrival cap be halved to 512 per week for the next month.

Premier Mark McGowan announced the changes on Friday. Picture: Matt Jelonek/Getty Images

It comes after pregnant mother and nurse Alison Rose, along with her four-year-old daughter, contracted the virus from a couple who had arrived from India and were staying in an opposite room at the Mercure Hotel.

A 54-year-old Victorian man, who flew home to Melbourne and returned a positive test result on Friday, became the third person to contract the virus in the hotel.

“He was one of two people in immediate adjacent rooms,” Mr McGowan said.

“The other person has returned a negative test result and will complete 14 days of hotel quarantine in Perth.”

Mr McGowan said the man arrived in Perth on April 3 from Shanghai and his room was alongside the family from the UK.

“So he was opposite the couple in India but one over to the right. He returned a negative result on day 12 in hotel quarantine and was then subsequently released on April 17 before leaving for Melbourne on April 21,” the Premier said.

“We now need to assume he was infectious during this five-day period.”

Mr McGowan described it as a “fast-evolving situation” and said teams had been mobilised to begin contact tracing.

Mr McGowan described it as a “fast-evolving situation”. Picture: Paul Kane/Getty Images

After leaving quarantine on April 17, the man stayed with a friend and her two children in Kardinya and went to a Malaysian restaurant.

That friend had a rapid COVID-19 test, which returned a positive result.

The next day, the Victorian man went to a swimming pool in Perth’s southern suburbs.

He had a coffee in Leeming, dinner in Northbridge and stayed at Saint Catherine’s College at UWA.

On April 19, he visited a Chinese traditional medical doctor, went to Northbridge again and stayed at the college that night.

The next day he visited Kings Park and Northbridge again.

On April 21, he had breakfast in a common area at Saint Catherine’s College before being driven by his friend to the airport.

He boarded a flight QF778 from Perth to Melbourne at 1.05pm that afternoon.

That flight had 257 passengers and Victoria Health is working on contact tracing those people.

Any West Australian who was on the flight and has since returned, must be tested immediately and self-quarantine for 14 days.

Two positive cases have been in the West Australian community. Picture: NCA NewsWire/Tony McDonough

“We now have two positive cases that have been in our community from April 17,” Mr McGowan said.

“Details and locations for both the Victorian case and his friend will be finalised and released publicly as soon as possible.

“If you have been to these locations during the times listed, you will need to get tested and isolate until you return a negative test result.

“If people are deemed a close contact by public health officials, you will be tested and required to self-quarantine for 14 days.”

Mr McGowan said authorities were obtaining CCTV vision to piece together more details.

“We know his accommodation at St Catherine’s College at UWA has a separate bathroom, which is good news,” he said.

The 16 other people on the same floor at the Mercure, who have since left hotel quarantine, were not in adjacent rooms and so far 13 have tested negative.

Mr McGowan on Thursday conceded the Mercure was “not one of the best” hotels for quarantining and would no longer be used for returned travellers.