[60], On 17 January mask wearing rules were extended to WA's South West Region. Australia's largest city, Sydney, has emerged from Covid lockdown after almost four months, with locals celebrating a range of new freedoms. 2020 (Image: Steve . Schools within the lockdown area (which were anticipated to open the following day) remained closed and reopened the following week. In response, Premier Gladys Berejiklian imposed social gathering restrictions across Greater Sydney, the Blue Mountains, and the Central Coast areas including a ten-person limit on private gatherings and restrictions on dancing and singing. Australia's coronavirus lockdown rules and restrictions explained Read more This is the first 50 days of the shutdown. Under the restrictions, masks remained mandatory indoors and outdoors in the Perth and Peel regions, unless people had a medical exemption, or were doing vigorous exercise outside. [4], Western Australia confirmed its first case of COVID-19 on 21 February 2020, a man who was evacuated off the Diamond Princess cruise ship and flown to Darwin. Following a pandemic being declared by the World Health Organisation on March 11, the Commonwealth enacted a raft of unprecedented measures to slow the spread of COVID-19 including closing the international border, mandating hotel quarantine for returning Australians and whittling non-essential gathering limits down to just two people. Nev Power, the person tasked with Australia's economic recovery post-pandemic, likened WA's pandemic policies to "squashing an ant with a sledgehammer", but the defiance of the WA government to keep its state borders closed is overwhelmingly supported by West Australians who have been able to return to relative normality thanks to the state's virus-free bubble. Masks are mandatory from 6pm tonight, Friday 23 April 2021 for Perth and Peel residents. Lockdown extended across the nation until 3 May, with a conditional relaxation after 20 April for the regions where the spread has been contained. [49], Also on 19 March, Qantas confirmed it would suspend about 60% of domestic flights,[50] put two-thirds of its employees on leave, suspend all international flights and ground more than 150 of its aircraft from the end of March until at least 31May 2020 following expanded government travel restrictions in response to COVID-19. [161], The 2020 Federal Budget, due to be delivered in May but delayed because of the coronavirus pandemic, is delivered on 6 October. Michael Traill The West Australian. (ABC News: Gian De Poloni) "There are a number of interrelated effects, but it ultimately all comes back mainly to those necessary restrictions that governments have put in place to protect the broader community," he said. [131], On 18 July, it was announced that a sitting of Federal Parliament, scheduled for the first 2 weeks of August, had been cancelled. Western Australia also announced two old cases. [38][39][40], In mid-June, there was controversy when the Western Australia Police accessed data from the SafeWA contact tracing app as part of a murder investigation. [97][98], On 15 May, South Australia became the second jurisdiction, after the ACT, to be free of any active cases;[99] however, on 26May, a woman returning from overseas who was granted exemption into South Australia from her hotel quarantine in Victoria tested positive for COVID-19. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. "[106], By 26 May, Australia's first human trials of a candidate COVID-19 vaccine, Novavax's NVX-CoV2373, began in Melbourne. [31] This brought the Victorian total to 36 and the national total to 175. [62][63] When the cruise departed on 18 April 79 of Western Australia's 541 cases were passengers and crew off the Artania with one death acknowledged as being a crew member from the Philippines. Professor Clements said there was also an element of luck in that WA was isolated and not an international travel hub, but good management could be seen in the swift action by authorities: "the government went hard and I think that was the right thing to do". [13] On 6 April, school holidays started one week earlier than planned. Monday March 23, will be the final day of the term for kids in Victoria. It will oversee all parts of the Victorian quarantine program. This figure was later revised to $70billion when an error of estimation came to light. A senior Victorian Labor source likened this stroke of luck to Premier Mark McGowan being "smacked on the arse by a rainbow". This article documents the chronology and epidemiology of SARS-CoV-2, the virus which causes the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and is responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic in Australia during 2020. It was announced on 20March that three of 13passengers had tested positive for the coronavirus. That advantage bought the federal and state government time to stage a defence which would ultimately lead to community spread of coronavirus being eliminated in WA by mid April a feat that has been maintained for 138 days. [66] The legislation was designed to allow WA to exit the state of emergency, which the state has been under since 15 March 2020a total of 922 days as of 23 September. [11] Within the Kimberley region, movement was further restricted to prevent travel between each of the four local government areas. [8], Twenty-four Australians were infected on the Diamond Princess cruise ship with eight being sent to Darwin for two weeks of quarantine. [56][57] The NCCC's role includes providing advice on public-private partnerships and coordination to mitigate the social and economic impacts of the pandemic. The date had been based on the SARS-CoV-2 Delta variant, but it is feared the Omicron variant could "cripple" the state. Western Australia (WA) confirmed its first case of COVID-19 on 21 February 2020, and its first death on 1 March. Queensland, Victoria, and South Australia also strengthened their borders. [137], By 1 August, Australia's national death toll exceeded 200. His announcements comes as WA's confirmed COVID-19 cases jumped by 20 overnight to 140, as at 3pm today. Phase 1 is already in place following the cautious relaxing of some restrictions from April 27, 2020, to allow families and friends to stay connected. 4 March 2020: Government of India orders a nationwide lockdown for 21 days. [82], On 14 April the Federal government announced the "COVIDSafe" digital contact tracing app. [169][170] On the same day, Daniel Andrews announced a significant easing of restrictions to take effect over the coming weeks. Phase One: 27 April. Start date End date Length (days) Start date End date Length (days) Start date End date Length (days) . [14], MVArtania departed Fremantle on 18 April following a standoff with state and federal governments over responsibility for the care of passengers and crew. [123] Furthermore, effective immediately the announcement was made, nine public housing towers housing about 3,000 residents were added, with the additional condition that residents could not leave the tower under any circumstances for five days, with the possibility of extension to 14 days. Prior to the guards infection, up to 45,000 people were to be allowed to attend. [39][40] It is not known how the guard became infected, but they worked at the hotel on 24, 25 and 26 April, including on the same floor as two returned travellers who were COVID-19 positive. He was treated at the Launceston General Hospital as he became the first COVID-19 case in Tasmania. Enforcement began after 11:59 p.m. on Wednesday 22 July to allow time to acquire a face covering. [17], On 4 March, a second death was reported, a 95-year-old woman dying at a Sydney aged-care facility. Post lockdown interim restrictions apply. Schools within the lockdown area (which were anticipated to open the following day) remained closed and reopened the following week. While likely to have been infectious the guard visited several locations in the community, raising the possibility of another lockdown in Western Australia. [2][3] On the same day, three other patients tested positive in Sydney after returning from Wuhan. FILE - A passenger jet makes its final approach for landing into Sydney Airport, Apr. "[117] An interim report was published on 6 November,[120] and the inquiry's final report was published on 21 December. When he tested positive, he was flown by the Royal Flying Doctor Service to Perth, and was isolated at Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital. But there are at least 48 days until indoor gatherings and overnight stays are allowed. Perth and Peel Lockdown - all non essential City of Perth services will be closed during this time Further to an announcement by Premier Mark McGowan this afternoon (Friday 23 April 2021) Perth and Peel will go into lockdown for three days, from midnight tonight until midnight on Monday 26 April 2021. [34], On 23 April 2021, due to an asymptomatic returned traveller who tested positive after completing 14 days of hotel quarantine and subsequently went into the community, a lockdown from 12:01 am on 24 April to 12:01 am on 27 April was declared for the Perth and Peel regions. There were 81 known and active Omicron cases in WA. The pickers arrived on a chartered aircraft, and had to undergo the usual 14-day quarantine. 28 June 2021 - Perth & Peel COVID-19 Lockdown from 29 June to 2 July 2021 Listen 26 April 2021 COVID-19 Perth and Peel Restrictions from 27 April Listen 5 February 2021 - COVID-19 Perth & Peel Restrictions from 8 February Listen 31 January 2021 - COVID-19 Lockdown Perth, Peel & South West Region Listen 2020 [36] The State of Emergency was subsequently extended[citation needed] (see below). Schools opened for term 2 on the originally scheduled date, 28 April. The Department of Health has reported 23 new cases of COVID-19 overnight, bringing the State's total to 278. . (Image: PA) April 5 - Lockdown announcement. WA has had at least six people breach the states quarantine measures, although none were infected with coronavirus at the time. Western Australia enters five-day lockdown from 6pm tonight Sunday, 31 January 2021 Fast evolving situation with a hotel quarantine worker testing COVID-19 positive Five-day lock down starting 6pm today (Sunday, January 31, 2021) until 6pm on Friday, February 5 for Perth, Peel and the South-West [37] The lockdown ended on 26 April, as originally scheduled, with no new case of community transmission. [162], On 11 October, Victoria's State of Emergency and State of Disaster were extended until 11.59pm on 8 November. [167], On 24 October, Victoria recorded 98 active cases statewide; this was the first time since 19 June in which Victoria had under 100 cases. Were working to restore it. The 37-year-old male tested positive overnight on Wednesday while in quarantine. The man infected a cleaner at the hotel, who then went on to infect two others in the community. The image frame bears the inscriptions "AUSTRALIAN WEDGE TAILED EAGLE," "2023 1 . [68], On the evening of 31 March, six baggage handlers from Adelaide Airport had tested positive. Home opens and display village openings, with appropriate record keeping and hygiene practices in . WA to enter three-day snap . For the following four days some restrictions such as: mandatory face masks in public; some venue closures; and number restrictions for public and private gatherings, remained in force, but travel beyond the Perth and Peel areas was allowed. e UK? Ten people were permitted in restaurants and cafes, social distancing rules still had to be followed. [157] Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews announced that coronavirus restrictions were intended to be lifted faster, in time for a "Covid-normal Christmas". [46], On 27 June at mid-day, restrictions in the Perth and Peel regions were tightened for at least three days after a woman tested positive after she visited a known COVID-19 hotspot in Sydney on 19 June, returned to Perth on 20 June and tested positive on 26 June. [2] [156], On 27 September, with the cases in Melbourne continuing to fall, restrictions there were loosened: the night-time curfew ended the next day, outdoor exercise with a personal trainer was allowed, public gathering limits were increased (up to five people from a maximum of two households could meet outdoors for social interaction) and childcare reopened the next day, with kindergarten programs returning from 5 October. This was the first new case in 19 days for the state. More than 38,000 people had been tested in the previous 24 hours. It seeks to avoid duplication of the announcements made by the Australian Government as much as possible. The major change that the legislation will bring about is that the Emergency Services Minister will no longer be involvedas they have had to extend the state of emergency every fortnightand that the police commissioner will be able to give themselves emergency powers if they are satisfied that COVID is, or imminently will be, "of such a nature or magnitude that it requires a coordinated response" and that "There is a need to exercise powers to prevent or minimise loss of life, prejudice to the safety, or harm to the health, of persons. [103][104], On 25 May, a night duty manager at one of Melbourne's quarantine hotels reported a fever and tested positive on 26 May. [48], On 13 December 2021, it was announced that Western Australia would fully open its borders to COVID-19 vaccinated people from interstate and overseas on 5 February 2022,[50][51] but that re-opening was subsequently delayed. ", "Western Australia records five new local COVID-19 cases as exposure sites grow", "Explainer: why are Covid infection rates in Australia so high compared with other countries? [119] Andrews noted that "it is abundantly clear that what has gone on here is completely unacceptable and we need to know exactly what has happened. The messages, leaked by journalist Isabel Oakeshott, who was a ghost-writer on Mr Hancock's Pandemic Diaries, show he expressed the fear on November 1, 2020, a day after he announced a national . With truck drivers one of the few workers given exemptions to travel across the country without quarantining, the risk of a similar outbreak in WA exists, but is slightly lessened due to SA acting as a buffer between the west and Victoria. One result was that AFL spectators were not allowed at the Western AFL Derby on May 2 at Optus Stadium. Perth, Australia, on Monday, the first full day of its lockdown. [62], On 27 January, the mask mandate was extended to the Wheatbelt and Great Southern regions. Nonetheless, on August 14, WA introduced mandatory masks and testing for truck drivers. [111], On 20 June, the Victorian Government announced the re-tightening of restrictions on household gatherings following a spike in community transmitted cases over the previous week, reported to be mainly caused by family-to-family transmission in large household gatherings. Such work is typically reliant on overseas staff, such as backpackers and seasonal workers from the Pacific Islands. [55], On 25 March, the National COVID-19 Coordination Commission (NCCC) was established by the Prime Minister, as a strategic advisory body for the national response to the pandemic. We entered phase one ahead of the national government announcements made on Friday 8 May, and we will remain in phase one until next Monday 18 May. Schools and childcare centres remain open until the school holidays, though some jurisdictions have brought forward the end of the term. [66], The same day, the Australian Government announced its largest economic support package in response to the crisis, a $130billion "JobKeeper" wage subsidy program. [107], On 6 June, both New South Wales and Victoria reported no new cases for the previous 24 hours, with only Queensland and Western Australia reporting one new case each, the lowest national total since February. New arrivals from WA had to have a COVID-19 test within 48 hours, or undergo 14 days of quarantine. [58], As of 5January2022[update] the Northern Territory was classed as medium risk, while New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia and Victoria were classed as extreme risk. [72] The free childcare ended on 12 July, and the previous Child Care Subsidy was reintroduced. Updated Mar 23, 2020, 1:21 PM SGT SYDNEY (REUTERS) - Australia began living under strict new lockdown rules on Monday (March 23) as coronavirus cases topped 1,600 and authorities denied entry. Perth was deserted as social distancing measures took hold. PM Modi makes a televised address to the nation of 1.3 billion-plus people. [127], On 7 July, after recording 191 new cases, Premier Andrews announced that metropolitan Melbourne and Mitchell Shire would re-enter lockdown for a minimum of six weeks from 12 a.m. on 9 July. The official list of reasons you can now leave home includes: Non-contact recreational activities such as private picnics in the park, fishing, boating, hiking and campingall in compliance with travel restrictions and the new 10-person rule.