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Perth hotel quarantine guard and his two flatmates test positive for COVID

WA Premier Mark McGowan  announced the outbreak at a Saturday afternoon press conference.

WA Premier Mark McGowan announced the outbreak at a Saturday afternoon press conference. ABC News/Evelyn Manfield

Western Australian Premier Mark McGowan has confirmed three new COVID-19 cases in Perth.

The cases stem from a security guard who was infected with the virus while working at the Pan Pacific Hotel, Mr McGowan said.

The man worked on the same floor as two other positive cases staying in hotel quarantine, he said.

He had been out in Perth’s inner-northern suburbs for days before testing positive for COVID-19.

Two of the man’s housemates had since tested positive for the virus.

Potentially infectious for four days

The man, who has had his first dose of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine, worked at the Pan Pacific between April 24 and 26.

Mr McGowan said it was possible the man could have been infected while two people with COVID-19, who had arrived from the United States and Indonesia, were transferred to their rooms.

Contact tracers believe the man may have been infectious in the community on a day off work on Tuesday, April 27.

He moved around the community for four days before returning a positive COVID-19 test on Saturday morning.

Between Tuesday and Thursday, the man visited two supermarkets in Balcatta and Stirling as well as a café in Joondanna.

He developed coronavirus symptoms on Thursday evening, which he assumed to be a side effect from his vaccine,

On Friday morning, he visited a mosque in Mirrabooka in the morning before getting a COVID-19 test.

The test was confirmed as positive this morning.

The man was residing in Nollamara, about 10 kilometres north of Perth’s CBD, with seven people, including two visitors from Canberra.

Two of those people have tested positive for the virus, while the other five have returned negative results at this stage.

Lockdown ‘holding pattern’

Mr McGowan said contact tracers were working to track all of their movements in the past week.

“They are working as fast as they can to ensure we can have anyone that was potentially exposed be put in self-isolation and tested as soon as possible,” he said.

Mr McGowan said a full lockdown of the city was not required at this point.

He said that was because the infected people’s movements were limited by the ongoing coronavirus restrictions Perth is under.

“But it is possible this could change by tomorrow or the day after,” Mr McGowan said.

“Our restrictions in place, our use of masks and the ability of our contact tracers and testing, gives us the ability to hold on a lockdown decision this afternoon.

“We’re effectively in a holding pattern and I hope we can avoid going back into lockdown.

“But if we need to, that is what we’ll do.”

However, all people in and from Perth and Peel must now wear a mask while at indoor and outdoor public spaces.

ABC

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