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Mid West residents and visitors warned to remain vigilant during Perth COVID outbreak

Elise Van AkenGeraldton Guardian
Midwest GP Network chair Dr Ian Taylor
Camera IconMidwest GP Network chair Dr Ian Taylor Credit: Supplied

Mid West-Gascoyne residents and visitors have been warned to remain vigilant in the wake of southerners being forced into a lockdown.

Perth, Peel and the South West will go into a five-day lockdown from 6pm tonight after WA recorded its first case of COVID-19 community transmission in almost 10 months.

Premier Mark McGowan announced the drastic measure at an emergency press conference this afternoon, revealing a security guard at one of Perth’s quarantine hotels had been diagnosed with the deadly virus.

Police checkpoints were being reinstated between Perth and the Mid West, with City of Greater Geraldton Mayor Shane Van Styn saying the City would investigate impacts the lockdown would have on travel, including by air, the to and from the region.

“We’ve paid strict attention to the Premier’s announcement and we hope everyone abides by the directives,” he said.

“However, here in Geraldton we remain free of the virus and we still get to enjoy our civil liberties and are not subject to a lockdown.

“We urge all people to remember not only is the lockdown not subject to us here in Geraldton but shops will remain pen and there is no need for panic buying in Geraldton, or even in Perth for that matter.” 

Midwest GP Network and Geraldton Hospital Medical Advisory Committee chairman Dr Ian Taylor said while there were no active cases in the Mid West, a local lockdown was possible.

“We can't afford to be complacent up here in Geraldton, because if there's a suspicion that one of the contacts might have headed up here, and there are people obviously coming home as we speak who’ve been in Perth this weekend,” he said.

“So just because we're not being locked down right now doesn't mean that couldn’t change within hours. This is a highly fluid situation as as the Premier pointed out.

“I think at the moment, while there's so much uncertainty, if you don't really have to go out or don't have to do anything, I'd probably stay at home and just be a bit cautious about going out and going to the pub.”

He recommended using the COVID Safe app wherever possible to allow for accurate contact tracing as well as following precautionary social distancing and hand washing measures.

“We don't have to wear masks in Geraldton yet. Outside of outside of Perth, but I think it's probably not a bad idea to prepare and make sure you've got some masks,” he said.

Locals or visitors coming to the region from Perth did not need to be concerned unless they had visited one of the Perth metropolitan hot spots or developed any flu-like symptoms.

“But also, the other critical thing is that if you if you have any sort of cold or flu symptoms, ring your GP and ring the practice,” Dr Taylor said.

“We can then work out if there is any risk, how sick you are and work out appropriate management.

“Generally we still advise that anyone with symptoms self-isolates and then gets a COVID test and remains self-isolating until they've got the results of that COVID test.”

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