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Coronavirus Perth: Hunt for traveller Kyle Stephens who skipped Perth hotel quarantine

Headshot of Sarah Steger
Sarah StegerThe West Australian
Kyle Stephens was directed to stay in Perth hotel quarantine but refused.
Camera IconKyle Stephens was directed to stay in Perth hotel quarantine but refused. Credit: WA Police

A Tasmanian man who flew to Perth via Sydney is on the run after being denied entry into the State and skipping out on hotel quarantine.

WA Police said Kyle Stephens travelled from Tasmania to New South Wales, while the State was in lockdown, and continued on to Perth on Thursday.

The 32-year-old was stopped by authorities on the tarmac, along with anyone else flying into Perth from Sydney, and told he would be required to stay in hotel quarantine until his flight back to Tasmania.

His arrival came on day three of Perth’s snap lockdown — put into place after a woman flew in from Sydney and later tested positive for COVID-19.

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A statement released by police this afternoon said Mr Stephens had been “directed to stay at a specified hotel prior to his flight out of WA”, but failed to do so.

“WA Police believe Mr Stephens has remained in WA and is believed to be travelling with another male person and could be heading from Perth to the Geraldton area,” it said.

The alarming news comes as WA recorded one new case of COVID-19 today.

The new case is the partner of case 1023, a 32-year-old woman who visited the same northern suburbs gym as the physiotherapist who sparked the Perth and Peel lockdown after contracting the virus in Bondi in New South Wales before unwittingly bringing it to WA.

The physiotherapist spread it to another woman at a gym and a man at the Indian Ocean Brewing Company, who worked at the venue but was dining there at the time.

About two million people were forced into the snap, “circuit-breaker” lockdown, which ended on Saturday morning.

Then, on day two of the lockdown, a 37-year-old man also contracted the virus.

As officers scramble to track down Mr Stephens, anyone with information regarding his location is urged to phone police on 131 444 immediately, or phone Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or make a report at crimestopperswa.com.au.

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