23/04/2021
Our church will be closed from tonight until Tuesday, 27 April.
All mass services and other activities have been cancelled during this period until further notice.
I’ve just finished a number of urgent emergency meetings, and have a serious issue to update the community on.
- Current situation -
Today, Victorian Health received the test result of one of the people in the immediate adjacent room to the cases involved in the Mercure Hotel intra-room transmission. The male in his 50s is COVID positive and is currently in hotel quarantine in Melbourne.
He was one of the two people in immediate adjacent rooms. The other person has returned a negative result and will complete 14 days of hotel quarantine in Perth.
This case arrived in Perth on April 3, on flight SQ223, after spending time in Shanghai. His room was alongside the family from the UK, so opposite the couple from India but one over to the right.
He returned a negative result on Day 12 in hotel quarantine, and was then subsequently released on the 17th of April, before leaving for Melbourne on the 21st of April.
This means he spent up to five days in Perth, and we now need to assume he was infectious during this five day period.
I will now go through what we currently know, but I want to say this – this is a fast evolving situation and we are acting on information that this just coming to light.
Because the person is in Victoria, we’ve immediately mobilised teams to begin contact tracing.
A more detailed summary of the locations and specifics times will be released later today, when we have that information finalised from our contact tracing team.
But generally, this is what we know at this stage:
After leaving hotel quarantine on the 17th, he stayed with a friend and her two children at their home in Kardinya and went to a Malaysian restaurant.
That friend has – who is a close contact – had a rapid COVID test today and that has just returned positive.
On the 18th, the Victorian case visited a swimming pool in the southern suburbs. He had a coffee in Leeming, and dinner in Northbridge, and then stayed at St Catherine’s College at UWA – which offers short-stay accommodation.
On the 19th he visited a Chinese traditional medical doctor, went to a Northbridge and again stayed at the college that night.
On the 20th he visited Kings Park and Northbridge again.
On the 21st he had breakfast at St Catherine’s, before being driven by his friend to the airport. He boarded flight QF 778 from Perth to Melbourne at 1.05pm that afternoon.
That flight had 257 passengers and Victorian Health is working on contact tracing those people.
For any Western Australia that was on that flight, and has since returned, you will be required to be tested immediately and self-quarantine for 14 days.
So in summary, we now have two positive cases that have been in our community from April 17.
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.
We are currently scaling up our contact tracing and COVID testing teams. We’re also obtaining CCTV vision to piece together more details.
We know his accommodation at St Catherine’s College at UWA has a separate bathroom. Health will be sent into St Catherine’s College to test people. So anyone at UWA, if you’re feeling unwell. You need to get tested.
- Restrictions and three-day lockdown -
As a result of this situation, we need to act and do what is necessary to prevent further community transmission.
We have gone more than 12 months of no community transmission and our lives in WA have been normal, compared to what we have seen around the world. We need to do everything we can to protect our way life.
That’s why, from midnight tonight, Perth and Peel will enter a THREE DAY lockdown over the long weekend – until midnight on Monday night.
I know this hard to take. I really wish we didn’t need to be doing this. But we can’t take any chances with this virus. We just can’t.
- Lockdown -
From midnight tonight, people will need to stay in the Perth and Peel regions and won’t be able to leave, unless you have an exemption.
There will be the four reasons to leave your house, these are:
work because you can’t work from home or remotely;
shopping for essentials like groceries, medicine and necessary supplies;
medical or health care needs including compassionate requirements and looking after the vulnerable; and
exercise with a maximum of four people, limited to one hour per day, and masks must be worn (except for vigorous exercise).
- Masks –
Masks are mandatory from 6pm tonight and over the three-day lockdown for Perth and Peel residents, and we recommend they be worn immediately.
If you have left Perth and Peel since 17 April, you will be required to wear a mask whenever you are in public across WA.
Over the short three-day lockdown, you must wear a face mask unless you’re in your home, in your car with people you live with or doing vigorous exercise.
Masks are not necessary for children under 12.
- Venues to close -
The following facilities within the Perth and Peel regions will need to close over the course of 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; and
Libraries and cultural institutions.
The following restrictions will apply for the lockdown period:
People can enter Perth and Peel only to access or deliver essential health and emergency services and other essential requirements, or returning residents.
Restaurants, cafes or pubs, to provide takeaway service only;
No visitors to hospitals or residential aged care or disability facilities, unless there are exceptional circumstances;
Weddings and Funerals will be permitted – however, they will be limited to a 100 patron capacity, not including staff, and masks must be worn;
This will be the ONLY exemption for restaurants and other event locations.
- COVID Testing -
If you are unwell, more than ever you need to stay home and get tested if you’re symptomatic.
Our testing clinics are open and ready for people to get tested, if you are symptomatic.
Vaccinations will continue over the three-day lockdown period.
More information on testing clinics is available at www.healthywa.wa.gov.au/Articles/A_E/COVID-clinics
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COVID is incredibly challenging. As we’re experiencing.
I know this three-day short lockdown is difficult, but I hope we can keep it to three days only, give our contact tracers and health teams the time they need to ensure community spread is limited.
Unfortunately, Anzac Day dawn services will be cancelled in the Perth and Peel regions.
I encourage everyone to take part in a driveway dawn service again this year. I will be doing that again.
We will be monitoring this all very closely here-on and continue to assess the situation – as more information comes to light.
It has been more than a year – WA has experienced community transmission of this virus before. This has been an incredible result.
However we need to go back to what we know best, we need to stay safe.
We’ve all done this before and it has kept us safe.
It’s crucial we act calmly and sensibly, to keep the community safe.
I know for many Western Australians this will be disruptive.
My thanks goes out to everyone across the community for their patience and understanding.
As I’ve always said, I’ve been incredibly proud of WA.
The response of Western Australians has always been second-to-none.
Again, I urge everyone to act heed the health advice to stay safe.
We’ve maintained caution in abundance the whole way along this unpredictable COVID-19 journey. We need to stay the course together.
Take care of your loved ones and be respectful of others including those who are working to keep essential services and supplies ticking over.
We will provide further updates as they come to hand.
