Swathes of Western Australia have completed their first night of lockdown, triggered after a hotel quarantine security guard attended more than a dozen venues while infected with COVID-19.
The male hotel quarantine security guard in Perth tested positive for coronavirus overnight on Saturday, marking the first locally acquired case in Western Australia for almost 10 months.
Perth, Peel and the southwest region - around 80 per cent of the state's population - was sent into a full
Authorities believe the man in his 20s, who worked at the Sheraton Four Points hotel in Perth's CBD, has probably contracted the highly contagious UK variant of the virus and have urged anyone to get tested if they have symptoms.
Premier Mark McGowan said the state has immediately begun contact tracing and would ramp up testing in response to the outbreak.
The Four Points Sheraton hotel in Perth where a security guard worked and tested postive for COVID-19, Sunday, 31 January, 2021. Source: AAP
More positive cases among close contacts of the man are expected to be confirmed, he said.
The guard completed two 12-hour shifts on both 26 and 27 January and developed symptoms on 28 January. He phoned in sick and has not since returned to work at the quarantine facility.
Mr McGowan also revealed that the security guard may have been employed in a second job as a rideshare driver, but that he didn't work any shifts since his last shifts in the hotel.
The premier said the state would act early and decisively to get on top of the situation. State authorities are compiling a , with anyone who has visited the sites urged to get tested and self-isolate while they await results.
"I could not be more proud and thankful of the way Western Australian have carried themselves. Now we are asking for your help once again. I urge the community to act calmly. This is crucial," Mr McGowan said.
From 6pm on Sunday, those in the Perth region now have four essential reasons to leave home for the next five days. These are shopping for essentials; medical or healthcare needs, including compassionate requirements; exercise within the neighbourhood with one other person for one hour per day; and work when you cannot work from home or remotely.
Schools, due to reopen for Term 1 on Monday, will remain closed. Hospitality venues, gyms and sporting venues, playgrounds and places of worships must close while restaurants and cafes will be able to provide takeaway only.
The Perth area will go into lockdown for five days after a hotel quarantine worker tested positive to COVID-19. Source: Wikimedia Commons
Masks will be mandatory on all public transport and if leaving home for any reason including work, the premier said.
Anyone in the Perth area from another WA region is urged to stay.
He also urged people not to panic-buy, saying the transport of essential goods into the region would continue. But despite the plea, social media showed photos of Perth supermarkets stuffed full of shoppers and toilet paper aisles laid bare.
Mr McGowan said a "pretty tough" response regime was crucial.
"It is as hard as anywhere, designed to try to crush the virus and stop it from getting a foothold in Western Australia," he said.
"This will be very disruptive to many families and many businesses. But what we're trying to do is have a period of disruption rather than a long period of disruption, and therefore some adverse health outcomes. We are trying to crush the virus as quickly as we possibly can," he said.
States react to WA lockdown
Mr McGowan said he has been in touch with his state and territory colleagues and had recommended they put a stop to any travel into WA as a precautionary measure.
Queensland on Sunday declared Perth and some surrounding regions a coronavirus hotspot. This means anyone arriving from the area from 6pm AEST on Sunday must undergo a 14-day hotel quarantine.
In NSW, Western Australian arrivals will be subject to the same stay-at-home orders as if they remained at home, or forced into a 14-day quarantine if they have attended any of the at-risk locations.
Under its traffic light system, Victoria moved the Perth lockdown region from a green zone to a red zone from 9pm AEDT (6pm AWST) on Sunday. If people have been in one of the currently listed red zones since 25 January, they are not permitted to enter Victoria without a permitted workers permit or an exemption.
The Northern Territory announced that anyone arriving from the Perth lockdown region from 7.30 CST (9pm AEDT) must undergo 14 days mandatory supervised quarantine. People who arrived in the NT from WA between 25 January and 31 January must have a COVID-19 test and self-isolate until they return a negative test.
Tasmania moved swiftly on Sunday evening to shut its borders with parts of Western Australia. Travellers from Perth and the Peel and South West regions are not allowed to enter the island state unless granted special permission as an essential worker. Anyone in Tasmania who has been at the high-risk regions since 25 January has been told to self-isolate immediately and contact public health.
South Australia closed its border to all of Western Australia late on Sunday night. The new restrictions mean that anyone who has entered SA from WA since 26 January must self-quarantine and get tested on days one, five and 12.
The Australian Capital Territory announced travellers from Perth, Peel and the South West region, including a number of West Australian politicians, would be .
People in Australia must stay at least 1.5 metres away from others. Check your jurisdiction's restrictions on gathering limits. If you are experiencing cold or flu symptoms, stay home and arrange a test by calling your doctor or contact the Coronavirus Health Information Hotline on 1800 020 080. News and information is available in 63 languages at
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