Perth’s Public Health Measures Will Be Eased Back To Level 1 Next Thursday

Western Australian Premier Mark McGowan has held a press conference this afternoon to announce that Perth’s current Level 2 Public Health measures will be eased back to Level 1 at 12.01am next Thursday 31 March.

“Western Australia’s soft landing through the Omicron wave is on track – with COVID-19 hospitalisations and ICU admissions lower than expected thanks to our world-leading vaccination rate,” he said.

“Given this, we can now ease most Level 2 measures back to modified Level 1 measures after only four weeks – just as we had planned.”

The Level 2 measures were introduced on March 3, the same day as WA re-opened its border to the rest of the country/world, and will be welcome relief for many industries, including hospitality, currently grappling with capacity limits.

The Australian Hotels Association WA welcomed the news, with CEO Bradley Woods thanking the government to responding quickly to industry concerns: “The easing of level 2 restrictions from 31 March is very welcome news to WA’s hospitality venues and shows the WA Government is taking a pragmatic approach to COVID-19,” said Mr Woods.

“The AHA commends the Government for today’s announcement and we will continue to advocate for the removal of remaining restrictions, particularly where measures do not appear to have any clear benefit to public health outcomes.”

The following modified Level 1 measures will take effect from March 31:

– masks required indoors for adults and children in Year 3 and above, other than the home;
– proof of vaccination to continue applying to higher-risk venues;
– contact registration requirements to only be required for higher-risk venues that require proof of vaccination, removing the need for contact registration at retail outlets and other lower-risk sites where only casual interaction is likely to occur;
– indoor home gatherings limited to a total of 30 people, including household members;
– private outdoor gatherings limited to a total of 200 people, subject to the two square metre rule if at a private residence;
– two square metre rule for hospitality venues, nightclubs, convention centres or function centres, with a cap of 500 patrons (for two weeks only);
– two square metre rule for fitness venues, entertainment venues, galleries and museums, places of worship, hairdressers and beauty services;
– 75 per cent capacity for seated entertainment venues (forward facing), such as theatres and cinemas;
– 75 per cent capacity for major stadia, such as Optus Stadium, RAC Arena, HBF Stadium (main area) and HBF Park;
– two square metre rule for Perth Crown Complex including the gaming floor; and
– COVID Event Checklists required for events with more than 500 patrons and less than 1,000 patrons and COVID Event Plans required for large events with 1,000 patrons and above. The two square metre rule applies.

Visitor limits per resident per day in residential aged care and disability facilities will remain at two people, and there’ll be no change to essential visitors allowed to hospitals.

“These new Level 1 measures strike the right balance between reducing the spread of Omicron and minimising the impact on businesses,” add Health Minister Amber-Jade Sanderson.

“Our very high vaccination rates have kept hospitalisations and ICU admissions down and enabled us to keep our restrictions modest and short-term.”

Head to the WA Government Website for a full breakdown.