Western Australia has record its first cases of Omicron in an aged care facility, with two cases of COVID-19 detected in a nursing home in the Perth suburb of Bentley.
A resident at Cygnet Residential Aged Care was tested after showing symptoms and is now in isolation at the home after testing positive.
Juniper, the not-for-profit Uniting Church agency that runs the home, said in a statement a staff member had also tested positive.
WA Health said it had provided advice to Juniper.
"We want to reassure everyone that we are working tirelessly to protect our residents and staff and volunteers," Juniper chief executive Chris Hall said.
"Their health and safety is our priority. The majority of residents and staff are triple vaccinated."
Centre shuts to visitors
The centre, which houses people with dementia, has closed to all visitors.
"While visitor restrictions are in place, we will be working closely with residents, their families and representatives to maintain alternative connections, such as via video phone calls and on social media," Mr Hall said.
He said there were "strong infection controls in place" and it was working with WA Health and following its procedures and protocols.
It follows an earlier announcement that arrivals at Perth Airport will receive two free rapid antigen tests from today to reduce the risk of travellers bringing COVID into Western Australia.
Health Minister Amber-Jade Sanderson made the announcement after WA recorded 14 new locally transmitted cases of COVID up to 8pm last night.
Ms Sanderson said 11 were linked to previous cases while three remained under investigation.
"We are seeing more and more COVID cases from domestic travellers," Ms Sanderson said.
"Yesterday there were 52 cases from travel; today 80 of the 94 new cases are from domestic and international travel.
"Had we not made the decision to update our safe transition plan, these people would be in our community and our locally acquired cases numbers would likely be growing rapidly."
From today, all domestic and international arrivals will receive two free rapid antigen tests as they arrive at Perth Airport.
Ms Sanderson said most of the arrivals would be returning West Australians or those with strong connections in the state.
"COVID marshals will distribute them [the tests] to approved travellers to do on day 1 and 7 of their quarantine period," she said.
Domestic and international travellers will still be able to do a PCR test at a testing clinic but this measure would reduce pressure on state-run clinics, she said.
Ms Sanderson said it was "essential" that travellers register positive test results online or by calling 13 COVID.
Those who fail to do so face up to 12 months behind bars or a $50,000 fine.
WA Police Commissioner Chris Dawson said 17,500 travellers had arrived since Saturday, including 15,500 by air and about 2,000 by road.
WA to see 'steep spike' in COVID cases
Ms Sanderson said rapid antigen tests were an important part of the strategy to deal with Omicron and WA Health were expecting to have a stockpile of 21 million tests by the end of February.
"We think there is essentially more community transmission out there than is being reported," she said.
"What we have seen with Omicron both internationally and interstate is that it tracks along fairly low and then spikes quickly so we are expecting, any day, a very steep spike."
She denied the decision to restrict elective surgeries from February 28 was proof the WA hospital system was not ready.
"What it is proof of is a planned, proactive and sensible approach to make sure we have all of the resources available to deal with the surge," she said.
Concern about 'radicalised' behaviours
Mr Dawson said he was concerned about serious offences recently committed by a small minority of anti-vaxxers, including threats made towards Premier Mark McGowan.
Yesterday fresh threats were made towards Mr McGowan and a suspicious package containing a white substance was sent to his Rockingham electorate office, which was later found to be innocuous.
"I am concerned about radicalised behaviours, we have seen some very serious allegations," he said.
"I know the Premier has been threatened, I have been threatened, the Chief Health Officer has been threatened and some of these people are facing very serious charges.
"I don't group all of the protesters in that category, it would be unfair for me to do so... [but] where people are threatening lives and committing criminal acts, we will make every effort to pursue and put them before the courts."
Mr Dawson said protesters who had recently blocked roads and freeways was another example of unacceptable behaviour that a "dedicated police operation" would continue to crack down on.
