State awaits advice on lockdown transition, border

The state government is expected to deliver updated health advice on its transitional restrictions and border arrangements in the next 24 hours, as Western Australia records its eleventh consecutive day without any new local cases of COVID-19.

During a press conference this afternoon, Premier Mark McGowan confirmed that chief health officer Andrew Robertson was expected to provide updated advice on what restrictions, if any, should remain in place when the transitional lockdown restrictions cease on Sunday.

Dr Robertson is also expected to provide updated advice on the state’s border arrangement with New South Wales.

The Premier did, however, indicate that the state government would extend its restrictions with Victoria for at least the next seven days as the total number of cases associated with Melbourne’s Holiday Inn outbreak continue to grow.

More than 90,000 COVID tests have been conducted since the Perth metropolitan, Peel and South West regions went into a five-day lockdown late last month after a security guard at the Four Points by Sheraton hotel in Perth's CBD contracted the highly contagious UK strain of the virus from a returned overseas traveller.

Mr McGowan confirmed that one new case of the virus had been recorded today, a returned overseas traveller now in hotel quarantine.

Provided the state continues to record no new locally acquired cases, the transitional easing of restrictions, enforced while the state waits for the virus’s 14-day incubation period, are expected to be in place until 12:01am this Sunday, February 14.