Western Australia has recorded another 213 locally acquired cases of COVID-19 as new health restrictions aimed at curbing the spread of the virus kick in.
The result comes after 5,800 PCR tests were conducted yesterday, while 11 cases related to inbound travel were also recorded.
In WA, just two people remain in hospital with COVID-19, with nobody in ICU.
It coincides with a range of new restrictions taking effect this morning, including capacity limits for much of the state and a mask-wearing mandate for indoor public places state-wide.
Fears over remote community outbreak
Premier Mark McGowan said while there were yet to be more cases recorded in the remote community of Mantamaru, he expected there soon would be.
Two people in the community in the Ngaanyatjarra Lands, on the edge of the Gibson Desert, tested positive for COVID-19 at the weekend.
The community, also known as Jameson, is a few hundred kilometres from the Northern Territory and South Australian borders.
Mr McGowan said the two people who were COVID-positive there had used back roads to enter the state from SA.
He said that was in breach of WA's hard border and the pair had been fined.
"Remote Aboriginal communities are obviously something we are concerned about," he said.
"We have various plans in place to manage the situation if there are outbreaks."
"Basically, we have rules about who can go in, and if there are outbreaks, we basically lock the communities down, require people to quarantine, and if anyone is very unwell, we get them out and get them to hospital."
Mr McGowan said huge efforts had gone into vaccinating Indigenous communities, but it had proved challenging.
"The fact it's now in one Aboriginal community hopefully will spur action and more people will get vaccinated," he said.
Qantas 'struggling' for March 3 border opening
WA's case numbers are rising as the state prepares to open its borders next Thursday, March 3 — a month after it first planned to do so.
Qantas CEO Alan Joyce said his airline was scrambling to be ready in time.
"I don't know what the extra month has given us in Perth," he told Channel Seven.
"We were planned ready and organised to open up on the 5th of February, now we're struggling to meet the 3rd of March because we have people on leave who we asked to take leave.
Mr Joyce said the border announcement on Friday had left too little time for Qantas to schedule as many flights as it would have otherwise.
"We apologise we won't have as much capacity as we should have had," he said.
"But this is just because of this late decision, and we will get there.
"But it's great finally this country is reunited. We're no long North Korea and South Korea, we have one country again."
Mr McGowan said Mr Joyce's repeated comparing of WA to North Korea was unfair.
"Comparing us to North Korea is a bit over the top," he said.
"A repressive dictatorship that murders hundreds of thousands of people, compared with a successful democracy, full of freedoms, and the best economy in the world."
"I think that's an unfair comparison."
Novovax doses now available
Today's cases included 30 people who self-reported positive results from Rapid Antigen Tests.
The state is now managing 1,178 active cases of COVID-19.
The Novovax COVID-19 vaccine was made available in WA today with doses available for walk-ins this week only, after which a booking will be needed.
Walk-ins are available at Kwinana from Monday to Wednesday, Mirrabooka from Wednesday to Thursday, and the Perth Convention and Exhibition Centre from Thursday to Sunday.
The Novovax vaccine will be available in the Goldfields, the Kimberley, and the Pilbara next week.
The vaccine is recommended by the TGA to people aged 18 and older and is given in two doses a minimum of three weeks apart.
But it is not currently recommended for use as a third dose.
West Australians aged over 16 are now 57.3 per cent triple dosed against COVID-19, while the 12 and older cohort is 95.6 per cent double vaccinated.
Compensation package
When Mr McGowan announced the restrictions on Friday, he said a compensation package for affected businesses would be worked out.
Opposition treasury spokesman Steve Thomas said that package should have been ready to go as well.
"Surely the appropriate time to build a compensation package is when you put the rules in place, business needs clarity and certainty," he said.
"Business needs to plan now for what it's going to do in a few weeks' time.
"The government can't simply say 'we'll tell you when we're ready'."
Dr Thomas said it was disappointing Omicron-based modelling for WA had not yet been published.
"Mark McGowan absolutely has the ability to deliver some clarity around when the two-square-metre rule will be moved up to the four-square-metre rule," he said.
"That will rely on the number of infections, now he could give us a number based on the modelling he is trying to keep secret.
"These things are required by business because they need to plan in advance."
The Premier said on Friday WA Health's complete modelling would be released early this week.
