- On Sunday, a few areas of Western Australia went under a 5-day lockdown
- The Perth metropolitan area, Peel and South-West regions have an overall population of more than 2 million people
- Residents are permitted to leave their homes for essential shopping, medical needs, exercise and for jobs that cannot be done at home or remotely
THoD Newsdesk, Australia: On Sunday, a few areas of Western Australia went under a 5-day lockdown after a security guard at the Sheraton Four Points, a hotel quarantine facility, tested positive for the coronavirus.
Premier of Western Australia, Mark McGowan announced that the Perth metropolitan area, Peel and South-West regions of the Australian state are now under “full lockdown”. The Perth metropolitan area, Peel and South-West regions have an overall population of more than 2 million people, with a major chunk living in Perth.
Residents are permitted to leave their homes for essential shopping, medical needs, exercise and for jobs that cannot be done at home or remotely. Schools, businesses, entertainment venues and religious places have all been shuttered and restaurants are now restricted to takeaway.
McGowan stated, “This is a very serious situation and each and every one of us has to do everything we personally can to help stop the spread in the community.” He further added, “We are told the guard was working on the same floor, as a positive UK variant case.”
The guard had worked two 12-hour shifts on January 26 and 27, which is being hailed as the reason behind him contracting the UK COVID-19 strain, the Premier added. But “exactly how the infection was acquired remains under investigation.” The concerned department is calling on all people who visited a specified list of venues on a certain date to get tested. All close contacts of the man have been asked to quarantine for 14 days.
