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Western Australian Premier Mark McGowan has promised better transparency after failing to disclose four Covid-19 cases of the highly-contagious British strain.
WA has one active case linked to the mutant variant which has wreaked havoc in the UK and put Australian authorities on high alert.
The returned overseas traveller, aged in their 30s, is in hotel quarantine.
Mr McGowan said WA Health does not immediately receive the results of twice-weekly genomic testing which reveals the source of infections.
Any infections linked to the UK strain or other highly infectious variants will now be made public once confirmed, despite the premier downplaying the threat to the public.
‘There’s currently not a public health reason for doing so because the people in question are kept in a hotel or taken to hospital and they are quarantined,’ he told reporters on Tuesday.
‘But in light of public interest in this, we’ll make the information available.’
Mr McGowan added that the government would not release details that could potentially identify patients, including their flight information, unless there was a public health reason for doing so such as quarantine breaches.
Western Australian Premier Mark McGowan has promised better transparency after failing to disclose four Covid-19 cases of the highly-contagious British strain
A woman aged in her 80s who was confirmed to be infected with the UK strain was hospitalised earlier this month after testing positive in hotel quarantine. She has since been cleared of the virus.
Three workers who came into close contact with her were ordered into quarantine after failing to wear adequate protective equipment.
On Tuesday, the premier urged the NSW Government to ‘stop their constant criticism’ of his state’s border closures because ‘it’s getting tiresome’.
‘I urge for NSW Liberal government to stop. their constant criticism and carping is getting tiresome,’ he said.
‘They need to just leave it alone, let us act in the best interest in the health of West Australians. And they also need to leave the GST alone.’
Mr McGowan claimed NSW ‘continually diverted attention’ away from itself and ‘blames other states for its issues’.
‘Their attempts to bring down the health measures that have worked, in states like Western Australia, we will fight,’ he said.
‘I understand it is unpleasant for people, i can’t see my own parents.’
The premier also vowed to ‘fight to the death’ efforts by NSW to reduce WA’s share of GST revenue in another long-running fight.
NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian called on other state premiers to open their borders, accusing them of ‘inflicting pain and suffering’ on millions of Australians
A worker tests a member of the public at a Covid-19 Clinic drive through in Perth
Mr McGowan’s latest outburst followed NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian calling on other state premiers to open their borders, accusing them of ‘inflicting pain and suffering’ on millions of Australians.
‘I just say to my colleagues please base your decision on the science and the facts,’ she aaid.
‘As I’ve said before there is currently no part of Australia that is classified as a hotspot, and I stand by those comments. I would like to see all of us work more constructively together.
‘I don’t see any reason why states close their borders. Closing a border is a really, really big deal.’
In a statement on Tuesday, WA Health said there had been six cases of the UK strain and two of the South African strain detected to date.
‘It is important to note that all positive cases of Covid-19 detected in Western Australia since 11 April 2020 have been confined to hotel quarantine,’ the department said.
WA has had no community transmission of the virus for nine months.
‘Our quarantine system has worked properly, our borders have worked properly, people have embraced what they needed to do and that’s a credit to all West Australians,’ Mr McGowan said.
WA this week reopened its borders to travellers from Victoria but kept in place a requirement for them to self-isolate for 14 days upon arrival.
NSW and Queensland remain classified as medium-risk states, meaning travellers cannot enter WA without an exemption.
WA is monitoring a total of 14 active cases.
