Perth avoids another lockdown following discovery of no new local coronavirus cases

The AFL western derby will be played behind closed doors but Perth has avoided another lockdown for now after no new local coronavirus cases were found.

West Australia Premier Mark McGowan speaks to the media during a press conference in Perth, Sunday, 2 May, 2021

West Australia Premier Mark McGowan speaks to the media during a press conference in Perth, Sunday, 2 May, 2021 Source: AAP

Perth and the Peel region of Western Australia have avoided another lockdown for now after no further locally acquired coronavirus cases were detected.

WA Premier Mark McGowan confirmed the news on Sunday, 24 hours .

Contact tracers are continuing to work through the movements of the three men but all 16 close contacts identified by WA Health as "high risk" have returned negative tests.

Results are pending for a further four close contacts, while another 136 contacts are deemed casual or yet to be classified.

All the new cases and their close contacts must quarantine for 14 days.

Sunday's AFL western derby between West Coast and Fremantle at Optus Stadium will be played behind closed doors, with the risk of 45,000 spectators travelling to the stadium deemed too high.
Nightclubs will close for the next week and all Perth and Peel residents must wear masks indoors and outdoors, regardless of proximity to others.

"We need people to get tested and we need everyone to be wearing your masks," the premier said.

"I want to avoid going into lockdown again. I know how much it can impact people's lives and businesses. But if we need to go back into lockdown, we will."
The guard in his 20s worked at the Pan Pacific Hotel between 24 and 26 April and tested positive on Saturday.

On his days off work from 27 to 30 April, he moved through the community going shopping, seeing friends and visiting Mirrabooka Mosque.

He and his seven housemates were moved to hotel quarantine after he returned the positive result.

The guard had received his first dose of the Pfizer vaccine just days earlier.

Mr McGowan said the interim restrictions that had been in place in Perth and Peel following a snap three-day lockdown last weekend - including attendance limits at hospitality venues - had reduced the risk of a wider outbreak.
The guard's two infected housemates - a roommate and a guest from Canberra - had both been working as food delivery drivers.

They each worked on 29 and 30 April and could have been infectious since 27 April.

But public health advice suggested the risk was low given they were required to wear face masks and had minimal contact with customers.

Authorities are working through which restaurants they attended to collect food and if any are determined to be potential exposure sites, they will be listed on the healthywa.wa.gov.au website.

One of the positive cases attending a cooking school on 27 and 28 April with about 20 other people at the Perth College of Business and Technology.

The other students are being contacted and advised to isolate until they have returned negative tests, along with other casual contacts.

More than 3000 tests were completed on Saturday.

"We are not out of the woods as yet," Mr McGowan said. "Our contact tracing team has a massive job underway today."

The security guard, wearing a mask, worked on the same floor as two travellers - one from the US and one from Indonesia - who were transferred to the Pan Pacific Hotel on 24 April and tested positive.

Authorities have reviewed CCTV footage and are yet to identify any concerns.


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4 min read
Published 2 May 2021 1:21pm
Updated 2 May 2021 1:42pm


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