More leaks from hotel quarantine have left the State Government to consider enforcing another Perth lockdown today.
As reported yesterday, a security guard for the Pan Pacific hotel has tested positive for COVID-19 on Saturday afternoon, with two of his housemates also returning positive tests.
It is the second quarantine leak in just over a week after a man caught the virus while in hotel quarantine before wandering around Perth for five days and then boarding a flight back to Melbourne.
But unlike that first outbreak, Mark McGowan did not force Perth into an immediate lockdown.
Instead, he announced a decision around another Perth Lockdown would be made some time on Sunday morning.
“We are effectively in a holding pattern and I hope we can avoid going back into lockdown,” he said.
“Contact tracers have been working and continued to work through other potential close contacts.
See also: Latest known exposure sites for Case 1001
“They are working as fast as they can to ensure we can have anyone who was potentially exposed be put in self-isolation and tested as soon as possible.”
The guard was working at the hotel from April 24 to 26. He had three days off from April 27, which he spent shopping and moving around the community. He also attended the Mirrabooka Mosque.
He also went to the Spudshed Stirling store, Northlands shopping centre and a shopping centre in Joondanna.
All seven members of his household have been moved into hotel quarantine, but only two have returned negative tests so far.
The guard had been given one of the two jabs of the Pfizer vaccine and was wearing personal protective equipment on his shifts.
It is still not clear who in hotel quarantine he caught the virus from, but it is possible it came from a returned traveller from the US or one from Indonesia.
Mr McGowan said Perth had been relatively quiet in the wake of its lockdown this week, and he hoped that meant there was less of a chance the man spread the virus to anyone in the community.
“What has helped enormously is that, due to the interim restrictions we have had in place since Tuesday, they have significantly reduced movement in the community and everyone has been wearing masks,” he said.
“That gives us some confidence that the risk of transmission is significantly lower than it would normally be.
“These factors and the fact we have picked up this case as early means we can avoid moving into a lockdown at this point. But it is possible this could change.”
Mr McGowan is due to hold a press conference on Sunday morning to announce a decision on a second lockdown.
The newest COVID-19 outbreak puts at risk the Western Derby match, which was set to go ahead at 75 per cent normal capacity that afternoon.
More leaks from hotel quarantine have left the State Government to consider enforcing another lockdown in Perth on Sunday
A security guard for the Pan Pacific hotel has tested positive for COVID-19 on Saturday afternoon, with two of his housemates also returning positive tests.
It is the second quarantine leak in just over a week, after a man caught the virus while in hotel quarantine before wondering around Perth for five days and then boarding a flight back to Melbourne.
But unlike that first outbreak, Mark McGowan did not force Perth into an immediate lockdown.
Instead, he announced a decision would be made some time on Sunday morning.
“We are effectively in a holding pattern and I hope we can avoid going back into lockdown,” he said.
“Contact tracers have been working and continued to work through other potential close contacts.
“They are working as fast as they can to ensure we can have anyone who was potentially exposed be put in self isolation and tested as soon as possible.”
The guard was working at the hotel from April 24 to 26. He had three days off from April 27, which he spent shopping and moving around the community. He also attended the Mirrabooka Mosque.
He also went to the Spudshed Stirling store, Northlands shopping centre and a shopping centre in Joondanna.
All seven members of his household have been moved into hotel quarantine, but only two have returned negative tests so far.
The guard had been given one of the two jabs of the Pfizer vaccine and was wearing personal protective equipment on his shifts.
It is still not clear who in hotel quarantine he caught the virus from, but it is possible it came from a returned traveller from the US or one from Indonesia.
Mr McGowan said Perth had been relatively quiet in the wake of its lockdown this week, and he hoped that meant there was less of a chance the man spread the virus to anyone in the community.
“What has helped enormously is that, due to the interim restrictions we have had in place since Tuesday, they have significantly reduced movement in the community and everyone has been wearing masks,” he said.
“That gives us some confidence that the risk of transmission is significantly lower than it would normally be.
“These factors and the fact we have picked up this case as early means we can avoid moving into a lockdown at this point. But it is possible this could change.”
Mr McGowan is due to hold a press conference on Sunday morning to announce a decision on a second lockdown.
The newest COVID-19 outbreak puts at risk the Western Derby match, which was set to go ahead at 75 per cent normal capacity that afternoon.
Further updates on exposure sites visit healthywa.wa.gov.au.
Feature image: AAP Image/Richard Wainwright
Further Perth news and COVID-19 news on SoPerth.com.au.
