A deeper look into where and how COVID-19 is spreading in WA is required before rules are eased any further, according to an infectious diseases expert.
The comments came as WA Premier Mark McGowan was forced into isolation after a family member tested positive for COVID-19.
In a statement, Mr McGowan said he returned a negative PCR test yesterday but would still quarantine for a week "as so many West Australians have done during this pandemic".
"I'll be working from home for the duration of my isolation period as required," he said.
Other states axe isolation rules
By the weekend, both New South Wales and Victoria will have become the first jurisdictions in Australia to scrap their close contact isolation rules.
Western Australia today recorded 8,080 new cases of COVID-19, with 244 people in hospital with the virus and 10 in intensive care.
Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital declared a "code yellow" emergency this morning, as it struggled to cope with the volume of patients.
The number of people in hospital with COVID in WA has hovered in the low to mid-200s since late March.
A range of restrictions were relaxed in the state last Thursday including dramatic changes to close contact rules.
The WA government has flagged restrictions are likely to ease further "in the coming weeks and months", but has been tight-lipped when it comes to specifics.
'Too many unknowns' in WA: expert
University of WA senior lecturer in infectious diseases Barbara Nattabi said there were still too many unknowns for Western Australia to ease its close contact isolation rules.
"We could consider easing our isolation rules as well, but I think the most important thing for us to do at this point is to find out where our transmission is happening."
A pullback on contact tracing means the vast majority of COVID cases in NSW and Victoria have an unknown source of infection.
In WA, about half the cases can still be traced to known local sources. But further information on where transmission is occurring has not been made publicly available.
Dr Nattabi said it was difficult to know how safe it was to ease restrictions without knowing how and where cases were spreading.
"If our transmission is mainly happening in homes, then it would not be advisable for us to change our isolation rules yet," she said.
Close contacts in NSW and Victoria will still need to undergo multiple rapid antigen tests.
Dr Nattabi said the requirement for close contacts to continue getting tested, despite not needing to isolate, was the right approach.
"The most important thing is for household contacts to be able to test themselves," she said.
"If we can use the RAT tests to determine that transmission has not happened, isolation rules can be changed."
Testing to play role in school camps' return
School camps will be allowed to recommence in term 2 with testing requirements in place for students.
Camps were cancelled or postponed in February as case numbers rose in WA.
But Education Minister Sue Ellery said the latest health advice would allow for them to return.
"While it was disappointing that camps could not go ahead under the high caseload settings, it was necessary for the safety of school staff and students," she said.
"Now with school camps returning, there will be additional COVID-19 safety measures in place to protect staff and students."
Students will be required to return a negative rapid antigen test before attending, and schools will need to prepare isolation arrangements for anyone who shows COVID-like symptoms.
No date set for further easing of restrictions
Deputy Premier Roger Cook said West Australians should expect restrictions to be eased eventually, but the government would avoid any "hasty" decisions.
"We won't simply be putting things in place that will unnecessarily threaten the safety of Western Australians."
But state opposition leader Mia Davies echoed calls for a clear plan.
"West Australians want certainty," she said.
"They want to understand what Western Australia looks like without the state of emergency, and what needs to be done to get to that point.
Despite a consistent push from experts and the state opposition for more transparency around COVID-19 data, Mr Cook said the advantages of information needed to be weighed against people's privacy.
"There's always a balance between understanding what the data can tell us, but also making sure we don't abuse that data," he said.
WA should learn from other states: expert
Dr Nattabi said information and data was critical for understanding the effectiveness of restrictions and public health measures.
She also urged the government to look beyond other states and territories to understand the impact of its decisions.
"Now that winter is coming, we're particularly worried because people will be in close contact during the colder months, so we have to be careful," she said.
"It's important for WA, particularly because we're going into winter, to also study other countries that have passed through winter to see what happened."
Dr Nattabi cited the success of WA's triple-dose vaccination rate as a reason for why the vulnerable and elderly should consider getting their fourth dose.
"It helps us reduce the overall number of deaths. If you compare WA to the overall nation, we have a very low case fatality rate," she said.
