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Coronavirus WA: Anzac Day services cancelled as Perth enters three-day lockdown

Angela Pownall and Caitlyn RintoulThe West Australian
VideoWA to enter three-day snap lockdown

The snap three-day lockdown, which comes into force tonight in a bid to contain a COVID-19 outbreak from a Perth quarantine hotel, is disrupting ANZAC Day for the second year running.

It comes after a week clouded in frustration over crowd capacity limits under previous COVID-19 restrictions had forced sub-branches to either strip back or can their planned events.

Premier Mark McGowan announced the new restrictions, which include the cancellation of ANZAC Day events, today after confirming two COVID-19 positive cases in the community in Perth.

“Unfortunately ANZAC Day dawn services will be cancelled in the Perth and Peel regions. I encourage everyone to take part in the driveway dawn service again this year. I will be doing that again,” he said.

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WA Police Commissioner Chris Dawson said 40 ANZAC Day events will now not go ahead because of the lockdown.

But around 36 ANZAC Day dawn services will still go ahead outside of the metropolitan area, across the state from Karratha to Esperance.

ANZAC Day Dawn Service 2017 at Kings Park.
Camera IconANZAC Day Dawn Service 2017 at Kings Park. Credit: Daniel Wilkins/The West Australian

RSL WA chief executive John McCourt said the news was disappointing, but unavoidable and that the organisation supported the McGowan Government’s actions.

“RSLWA wishes to acknowledge all of our volunteers and staff for their tireless efforts to get COVID-friendly events across the line for Sunday,” he said.

“But like our ANZACs before us, we will adapt and overcome with resilience in the face of this fresh challenge. We encourage the broader community to continue to commemorate on Sunday at home.”

This is the second year running that COVID-19 restrictions have prevented ANZAC Day dawn services being held in the metropolitan area. Instead, thousands of people stood at the end of the driveways at 6am to remember the ANZACs.

Premier Mark McGowan on his Rockingham driveway at dawn.
Camera IconPremier Mark McGowan on his Rockingham driveway at dawn. Credit: Ian Munro/Premier's Office

On Sunday, West Australians were expected to return to war memorial services for the first time since 2019 — with a cap of 10,000 people allowed at the State's largest dawn service at Kings Park.

The Anzac Day capped crowd limits became a hot debate after the WA Government allowed as many as 55,000 people to attend last Friday’s Collingwood and West Coast Eagles AFL match.

At least six sub-branches — including those in Ballajura, Belmont and Rockingham — had announced their cancellation by Wednesday, revealing they would not be able to comply with COVID requirements.

Events would have required entire fencing of perimeters, enlist wardens and monitored contact tracing.

“We have old veterans attending our services and we have a duty of care,” RSLWA chief executive John McCourt had said at the time.

This year's April 25 commemorations would have been the first in WA's history to incorporate an Acknowledgement of Country.

The new health restrictions remain in the Perth and Peel regions only, which will mean regional sub branches will have be able to continue Anzac Day events.

The cancellations in Perth come after Cyclone Seroja hit Kalbarri had pushed to resurrect their dawn and main service after branch president Colin Baker called the commemorations off over COVID-19 safety plan implementation concerns.

Cyclone debris-covered Northampton have also planned to hold their dawn and 11am service, alongside a town march, with Northampton RSL Secretary Margaret Meagher saying the event would go some way to unite the hard-hit community.

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