More than two million West Australians will be freed from lockdown despite one new local coronavirus case being detected.
Premier Mark McGowan on Friday confirmed the four-day lockdown in Perth and the Peel region will end as scheduled at 12.01am on Saturday.
Interim restrictions will be enforced for the next three days including mandatory mask-wearing indoors and outdoors and capacity limits at hospitality venues.
“This is a great result that every West Australian should be proud of,” the premier told reporters.
“I want to thank everyone for their understanding and patience and for doing the right thing. Lockdowns are tough for everyone but until we have enough West Australians vaccinated, they are a necessary tool to get outbreaks under control.”
The new case recorded on Friday is that of a 21-year-old woman who is the partner of a staff member at the Indian Ocean Brewery.
He tested positive earlier this week after having fleeting contact with a 51-year-old woman who had contracted the Delta variant while holidaying in NSW.
Three other cases were detected this week in Perth’s northern suburbs.
The 21-year-old woman has been in quarantine since Sunday and had returned two negative tests before testing positive on Thursday.
“We do not believe she has been in the community whilst infectious,” Mr McGowan said.
Almost 11,000 tests were conducted on Thursday.
Of 383 close contacts identified to date, 356 have so far tested negative, as have 1725 out of 2848 casual contacts.
A second phase of less onerous restrictions will be enforced from Tuesday until 12.01am on Monday July 12, when Perth and Peel are slated to return to pre-lockdown life.
The lockdown in Perth and Peel is the third in five months.
Tourism operators have warned they face significant financial losses with school holidays set to begin on Saturday.
Mr McGowan said a business support package would be finalised as soon as possible.
AAP
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