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Coronavirus crisis: Premier Mark McGowan warns of regional travel restrictions, possible beach closures

Peter Law and Josh ZimmermanThe West Australian
Premier Mark McGowan.
Camera IconPremier Mark McGowan. Credit: Ian Munro/The West Australian

Western Australians should abandon their Easter holiday plans if they involve travelling intrastate and popular Perth beaches will be shut if people fail to comply with social distancing measures.

Mark McGowan announced restrictions on movement to and between WA’s regional areas would soon be unveiled in an attempt to slow the spread of COVID-19 across the State.

The Premier also warned that if social distancing rules were ignored at Cottesloe and Scarborough beaches in the coming days they would be closed, as happened in Bondi earlier this week.

“I don’t want to be doing this but if we have to protect people from themselves on our beaches, we will,” he said.

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Mr McGowan also assured travellers stuck in long queues at the WA border that they would be allowed into the State if they arrived at the border by the 1.30pm deadline.

Optus Stadium has been transformed into a command centre from which WA Police will base their operational response to the State of Emergency.

Speaking at a press conference this afternoon, Mr McGowan told visitors not to attempt to travel to WA.

“If you are a tourist wanting to come to WA, please don’t. It’s too late, please don’t come,” he said.

WA Police Commissioner Chris Dawson said there was not sufficient accommodation at Eucla and Kununurra for everyone arriving at the WA border after the 1.30pm border closure deadline.

Truckies would be exempt from the closure, but non-essential travellers arriving after the deadline could be taken by police to Norseman and be quarantined for 14 days.

Mr Dawson said if the social distancing restrictions were not properly followed there would be stricter controls, potentially stopping movement into regional towns.

“If you are in Perth and you are planning to spend Eastern in the south west you need to reconsider your plans. People need to think about this carefully. This is not normal, this is a state of emergency. You simply may be stopped,” he said.

“The law as it is, and it may change, if you don’t need to move around – don’t move around. If you have a principal home in Perth, stay in that home.”

He said measures had been drafted to restrict movement into the regions and included talks with regional airline operators about flights.

Police patrols had started at beaches and officers have been told to ensure large groups don’t gather as the weather heats up this week. Mr Dawson said beaches could be shut if West Australians don’t follow the advice.

Mr McGowan said the State Government was drafting measures to stop non-essential travel between regions. “This is a difficult thing, but I think we need to do it,” he said, adding that it was designed to protect the elderly and Aboriginal people.

Mr McGowan said the State Government would be announcing further stimulus measures within the next week, targeted at preserving jobs, saving apprenticeships and helping small businesses.

There was no announcement about new cases, but the Premier confirmed a Transperth bus driver who had been overseas and returned to work had tested positive for COVID-19.

Mr McGowan said the State was working furiously to make learning materials available for parents who keep their children at home.

He said negations were under way with a number of Perth hotels about being repurposed as medi-hotels or to provide emergency accommodation.

Another cruise ship carrying Australian and foreign passengers, the Vasco da Gama, was due to dock in Fremantle later this week.

National Cabinet meets later on Tuesday, with measures to protect commercial tenants from eviction by landlords on the agenda. WA and NSW are leading on the initiative.

Asked what a “stage two” lockdown would like, Mr McGowan said no final decisions had been made.

“We will take the best of medical advice if we need to do it. If we go to full lockdown it would mean everyone has to stay in their homes, shops would have to shut,” he said, adding “that would be devastation”.

Mr McGowan said WA was not considering the release of low-level prisoners “at this time”, as was today announced by the NSW Government.

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