COVID-19: Premier Mark McGowan reveals 20 people confirmed as close or casual contacts of NSW truck drivers

WA Premier Mark McGowan has revealed 20 people linked to the two truck drivers who’ve tested positive to COVID-19 are in isolation after being identified by contact tracers.

The 20 people are awaiting test results after potentially coming into contact with the truck drivers, who had arrived in the State early Friday from NSW via Victoria and South Australia.

Mr McGowan today said the risks presented by the two cases remained “very low”.

Speaking in Broome, Mr McGowan said the truck drivers had followed the rules and “done nothing wrong”.

“When they learned that they were COVID-positive, they notified the relevant people immediately. And obviously, the issue was dealt with ... So the system itself has worked.

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“I’d like to thank those two truck drivers for what they’ve done.”

The 29-year-old and 23-year-old had very little contact with the general public, sleeping in their truck cabin after arriving at a warehouse in the Perth suburb of Kewdale in the early hours of Friday.

On the way they stopped at the Yellowdine Roadhouse near Southern Cross, a service station in Norseman and at the Eucla WA-SA border checkpoint. Both men worse masks.

The Premier urged people who might be concerned to get themselves tested.

“If you are unwell, or if you went to one of those sites at the relevant time, please go and get yourself tested.

“But people shouldn’t panic. This is a situation that we’ve dealt with before. Our people in Health know what they’re doing to manage the situation.”

Potential exposure sites:

• BP truck stop, Eyre Hwy, 1 Coolgardie-Esperance Hwy in Norseman on August 26 between 5.30pm and 6.15pm
• OR Petroleum fuel station, Lot 124 Kingswood St at Widgiemooltha in the Goldfields between 6.45pm and 7.15pm
• Mobil Yellowdine fuel station on August 26 between 9.15pm and 10pm
• Shell fuel station in Southern Cross on August 26 between 9.55pm and 10.40pm

“We’ve done a lot of contact tracing around these two truck drivers,” Mr McGowan said.

“After the interviews with them and examination of their travels, there have been identified seven sites that they visited over the course of their time from when they arrived in Western Australia to when we identified the issue yesterday morning.

“So those seven sites have been now published. And it turns out there's been 20 people who are close or casual contacts of these two truck drivers.

“Two of the 20 people were in Perth, one in Kenwick, one in Kewdale. They have both been isolated and are quarantining. The other 18 in regional Western Australia are doing the same.”

“Both (truck drivers) are now in hotel quarantine being managed by our health professionals,” Mr McGowan added.

“Our health advisors have indicated that the risk from these two truck drivers is very low. And everything is being done to manage the situation in accordance with the health protocols. So the good thing about this, if you like, is that the systems we have in place worked. And we've got on to it very early.”