Regions of Western Australia went into a lockdown on Sunday after one person in the area tested positive for the coronavirus.
Western Australia’s premier, Mark McGowan, shuttered a number of businesses, entertainment services, schools, and restaurants for roughly 2 million people within the Perth metropolitan area and two other regions, Peel and South West. The measures, which will last for five days, follow the positive test results of a security guard in his 20s who may have been exposed to either the U.K. COVID-19 variant or the South African strain, both of which are said to spread at a higher rate.
“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,” McGowan said. “We are told the guard was working on the same floor as a positive U.K. variant case. As the man had worked two 12-hour shifts on Jan. 26 and 27, it was possible he had contracted the U.K. strain.”
“Western Australians have done so well for so long, but this week, it is absolutely crucial that we stay home, maintain physical distancing and personal hygiene, and get tested if you have symptoms,” he said.
Residents will be required to stay home, with exceptions for work (if they are unable to work remotely), grocery and medicine shopping, healthcare needs, and one hour of exercise per day. According to the lockdown statement released by the government of Western Australia, face masks must be worn at all times when outside the home, including at work and on public transportation.
Western Australia has recorded only 902 COVID-19 cases since the inception of the pandemic, and the area has 12 active cases as of Monday afternoon. The country as a whole has reported 28,811 cases, with 909 deaths since the virus hit its shores.
