West Australian politicians will have to tune in to federal parliament's first sitting week of the year from quarantine in Canberra after a five-day lockdown was declared in parts of the state.
Premier Mark McGowan after a male hotel quarantine security guard tested positive for COVID-19, making him the first locally acquired case in Western Australia for almost 10 months.
States and territories across the country moved quickly to introduce travel restrictions for arrivals from Perth, Peel and the southwest region, with the Australian Capital Territory announcing travellers would be subject to the same five-day quarantine lockdown.
With Parliament scheduled to start sitting on Tuesday, many West Australian politicians were already on their way to Canberra when the announcement was made.
The quarantined politicians, which include Defence Minister Linda Reynolds, Minister for Indigenous Australians Ken Wyatt, and Labor MPs Anne Aly and Pat Dodson, will be able to ask questions in Parliament via video link but will not be able to vote.
They will be required to remain in quarantine until 9pm on Friday, even if they return a negative result, ACT Deputy Chief Health Officer Vanessa Johnston said.
“We are monitoring the situation closely in Western Australia and will be making further decisions tomorrow as additional information is received from WA authorities,” she added.
“We are also asking that non-ACT residents who are in Western Australia to not travel to the ACT at this time.”
Health authorities in New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria, Tasmania, South Australia and the Northern Territory have also introduced new travel restrictions for people arriving from parts of Western Australia.
In NSW, Western Australian arrivals will be subject to the same stay-at-home orders as if they remained at home, or forced into a 14-day quarantine if they have attended any of the at-risk locations.
Queensland, meanwhile, declared Perth and some surrounding regions a coronavirus hotspot with anyone arriving in the state from those areas subject to a 14-day quarantine.
In Victoria, which uses a traffic light system, Perth has been moved to a red zone from Sunday and therefore people who have recently been in the region are not permitted to enter Victoria without a permit.
Anyone arriving in the Northern Territory will have to self-isolate until they return a negative test.
South Australia closed its border to all of Western Australia on Sunday night. The new restrictions mean that anyone who has entered SA from WA since 26 January must self-quarantine and get tested on day one, five and 12.
Tasmania on Sunday moved to shut its borders with parts of Western Australia. Travellers from Perth and the Peel and South West regions are not allowed to enter the island state unless granted special permission as an essential worker. Anyone in Tasmania who has been at the high-risk regions since 25 January has been told to self-isolate immediately and contact public health.
Health authorities in Western Australia have warned of the likelihood of more positive cases among close contacts of the security guard who tested positive.
Based off the variants present in the hotel where the man worked, the case may well be of the highly contagious UK variant, which was present on the same floor where the man worked, Premier McGowan said.
The guard completed two 12-hour shifts on both 26 and 27 January and developed symptoms on 28 January. He phoned in sick and has not since returned to work at the quarantine facility.
State authorities are compiling a , with anyone who has visited the sites urged to get tested and self-isolate while they await results.
People in Australia must stay at least 1.5 metres away from others. Check your jurisdiction's restrictions on gathering limits. If you are experiencing cold or flu symptoms, stay home and arrange a test by calling your doctor or contact the Coronavirus Health Information Hotline on 1800 020 080. News and information is available in 63 languages at
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