Coronavirus crisis: ‘We want to save your lives’, says Premier Mark McGowan in plea for West Australians to abide by social distancing and self-isolation measures

Sarah StegerThe West Australian
Camera IconPremier Mark McGowan has told the minority not following medical advice to ‘pull their heads in’. Credit: Trevor Collens/The Sunday Times

Premier Mark McGowan says the latest COVID-19 statistics in WA are positive, and that they indicated the State is positioning itself “better than our Eastern States counterparts”.

He urged everyone to continue to practise social distancing measures and told the minority not following medical advice to “pull their heads in”.

“This is about maintaining our safety during the state of emergency. This is about saving your lives. We want to save your lives. Do the right thing,” he said this morning.

Mr McGowan announced that an enforcement squad of more than 200 police officers would hit the streets immediately to ensure compliance with quarantine and gathering requirements, under strict new measures to enforce social distancing and self-isolation in WA.

Read more...

The dedicated squad — which will be bolstered by a team of detectives who will be tasked to track and trace any self-isolation cases whose whereabouts cannot be accounted for — will perform spot checks on those required to self-isolate and enforce bans on gatherings.

Camera IconAn enforcement squad of more than 200 police officers will hit the streets immediately. Credit: WA Police

The State Government is also introducing legislation to bring in $1000 on-the-spot fines for individuals and $5000 fines for businesses who disobey the rules. The urgent legislation will be introduced into Parliament as soon as next week.

Penalties of up to $50,000 for individuals still apply under the Emergency Management Act, however, the on-the-spot fines will allow WA Police to issue fines immediately, without having to go through the courts.

“People need to get serious. There are no excuses,” Mr McGowan said.

WA Police have so far responded to more than 1000 COVID-19 related tasks, including checks on those required to self-isolate.

Overnight, a further two people were charged after failing to self-isolate — a 73-year-old of Geraldton and a 36-year-old in Broome.

CRUISE SHIP CALAMITY

Mr McGowan said 270 Australian passengers, who all came off Italian cruise liners, will land in Perth on a Qatar flight tomorrow and will then be quarantined for 14 days.

The West Australian passengers will be taken to Rottnest Island, while the other Australians will stay in hotels-turned quarantine facilities.

He described the cruise ship situation off WA’s shores as a “nightmare” but thanked the Commonwealth Government for getting involved.

He said the cruise ship currently floating off WA shores, the MSC Magnifica, was due to leave WA today.

Camera IconNZ passengers arrive on bus at Perth Airport. Credit: Anton La Macchia/Anton La Macchia

“I want to see it leave Western Australia today,” he said.

The Premier said the same for the Artania, once all passengers and crew were off the vessel.

“I want to see this ship leave as quickly as possible and these arrangements are designed for this to happen,” Mr McGowan said of the chartered flights organised to carry European passengers to Germany today.

Last night, 98 New Zealand passengers aboard the Vasco da Gama, a second cruise ship currently berthed at Fremantle, were taken to Perth Airport under strict supervision of the Australian Border Force and the Australian Federal Police.

They are due to land in Auckland soon.

BEACHES COULD CLOSE

Mr McGowan said he had asked WA Police Commissioner Chris Dawson to shut down any beach if there were people breaching social distancing and gathering rules, with the main focus on Scarborough and Cottesloe beaches.

He said the State Government was also looking at banning the use of playgrounds and introducing a hard border shut down.

“If you’re not West Australian, don’t come, we don’t want you,” he said.

33 NEW WA CASES

Overnight there were 33 new cases of COVID-19, 16 of which were overseas travellers and three from the Artania.

WA Health Minister Roger Cook said the encouraging numbers showed the State was starting to flatten the curve.

The Artania has remained at berth at Fremantle Port since Thursday afternoon, when two passengers were rushed ashore for medical emergencies unrelated to coronavirus.

They, along with a third person who has since been evacuated from the ship, are reportedly all in a critical condition.

ARTANIA PASSENGER HEADING HOME

The West Australian understands a convoy of buses tasked with transporting the 1300 mostly German nationals aboard the Artania to Perth Airport will arrive at Fremantle Passenger Terminal from 2pm today.

The healthy passengers are due to fly out of WA onboard four Condor rescue flights, which will arrive from Frankfurt, Germany this afternoon.

The mercy flights will depart Perth depart at 5.20pm, 6.20pm, 7.20pm and 8.20pm as flight numbers DE8593, DE8461, DE8471 and DE8575.

On Friday, nine passengers — seven who tested positive to COVID-19 and two suspected of carrying the virus — were removed from the MS Artania for treatment in Perth’s public hospital system.

It came after Mr McGowan was forced to back down from an earlier vow that no foreign passengers infected with COVID-19 would be allowed to set foot in WA.

Camera IconBanners are hung from the cruise ship MV Artania in Fremantle harbour in Fremantle Credit: AAP

The State Government yesterday revealed up to 55 people from the cruise ship were showing coronavirus-like symptoms, with Mr McGowan saying the situation aboard the virus-riddled ocean liner had now reached “crisis point”.

In a major backflip on its earlier response to the cruise ship's arrival in WA, the State Government said all passengers showing symptoms would now be transferred to the Hollywood and Bethesda hospitals.

There, they will be treated in isolation, and Federal police will provide security, while anyone who is severely sick will be treated in Perth public hospitals.

The decision has been met by anger and frustration from the medical community.

AMA WA president Andrew Miller said doctors and nurses at Hollywood and Bethesda hospitals were “in shock” after the announcement that the Commonwealth and State governments had brokered a deal to use the two facilities to treat the sick.

“I have been contacted by doctors and nurses saying ‘Surely this isn’t true. There was no warning,” Dr Miller said.

The Australian Nursing Federation last night also called for COVID-19 victims to be treated at public hospitals.

Get the latest news from thewest.com.au in your inbox.

Sign up for our emails