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Coronavirus WA: Two new virus cases recorded as State Government rejects call for inquiry

Peter de Kruijff and Michael RamseyThe West Australian
Staff at a COVID clinic in Perth.
Camera IconStaff at a COVID clinic in Perth. Credit: Daniel Wilkins/The West Australian

There have been two new cases of COVID-19 in WA recorded overnight in hotel quarantine taking the state’s total of active cases to three.

The cases are of a woman in her 50s and a man in his 30s who have returned from overseas travel.

Out of the three current cases, two are West Australians and the third is from interstate.

It has been eight days since a coronavirus cases was recorded within WA’s hotel quarantine system.

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There has not been a community transmission case in WA for 124 days.

WA’s total cases of COVID-19 is 644 with 632 recoveries.

So far there have been 283,004 COVID-19 tests in WA.

There were 725 tests undertaken at COVID-19 clinics yesterday.

It comes as the State Government has rejected calls for an inquiry into its handling of the pandemic.

The state Labor government this week revealed under questioning in parliament the number of exemptions granted to its quarantine requirements.

Between April 6 and August 10, WA Police granted exemptions to 6661 people. Many were air crew from domestic flights, the government said.

About 42,000 people had flown into the state from overseas or interstate during the same period.

Opposition health spokesman Zak Kirkup said the figures were deeply concerning and repeated calls for the establishment of a review committee to determine the risks of the virus permeating Western Australia’s closed borders.

“The public has the right to know if the government can guarantee that what is happening in Victoria won’t happen here,” he said.

Premier Mark McGowan dismissed calls for the review, saying there had been just four breaches identified out of 10,500 returned overseas travellers in hotel quarantine.

He said former federal health department boss Jane Halton would be arriving in WA this week to examine the hotel system.

“I think it is best at this time that we allow our lawyers, our health officials, our chief health officer and our police officers to get on and do their job,” he said.

“At this point, and over the last six months, they have had done an outstanding job.”

In Victoria, there are glimmers of hope with a significant fall in recorded cases to 278 and eight new deaths overnight.

It’s the lowest number of new cases since July 20, when the state recorded 275 cases.

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