Western Australia has recorded its highest number of local COVID cases since the pandemic began as Omicron continues to spread in the community.
Premier Mark McGowan on Thursday said WA recorded 139 new Omicron cases overnight, 37 of which were new local cases.
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He said this was the highest number of local cases WA had recorded over the last two years.
Contact tracers are scrambling to investigate where eight mystery cases became infected.
The other 29 community transmissions are linked to close contacts.
Another 102 cases are linked to returned interstate and international travellers.
Omicron has continued to spread in a Perth aged care home, as another six cases were confirmed at Juniper’s Cygnet Residential Aged Care Facility in Bentley on Thursday.
Five residents and one staff member have tested positive.
It comes after the strain reached the WA aged care sector for the first time on Wednesday when a staff member and resident at Cygnet tested positive, forcing the facility into lockdown.
Mr McGowan said Omicron was a “game changer” that had caused chaos on the east coast and across the world.
“Each day Western Australia is seeing an increase in the number of new cases of Omicron,” he said.
“Currently the bulk of new Omicron cases are from interstate and overseas arrivals.
“That is why, based on health advice, we made the decision to update our safe transition plan.”
The premier was set to open WA’s border to the world on February 5, but instead opted for a soft transition by expanding compassionate exemption criteria to buy West Australians more time to get vaccinated.
Under the current rules, people with direct family connections in WA and locals returning from visiting relatives in the eastern states are among those who can enter the state.
“Allowing thousands of arrivals into Western Australia with no testing or quarantining to seed the virus rapidly across our state would’ve been reckless and irresponsible,” Mr McGowan said.
“With the rapid spike in cases among returning West Australians in the last few days, one could only imagine the kind of seeding event that could’ve taken place under the original (border) plan with far higher arrivals and no quarantine.”
He said the hard border would be reviewed this month, but conceded WA’s third dose vaccination rate was still too low.
Around 98 per cent of eligible West Australians have had their first dose, 94 per cent have had their third dose, while only 48 per cent of people are triple dose vaccinated.
“It’s heading in the right direction, but not yet where we need it to be,” Mr McGowan said.
Premier slams threats
Mr McGowan has slammed the “coward” who sent a threatening letter and package of white powder to his Rockingham electorate office this week.
The premier’s office was cordoned off by police on Tuesday after a staff member reported a suspicious package.
Mr McGowan on Thursday said a letter, which had white powder in it, had been addressed to his wife with a “number of threats to harm her and my children and worse”.
Mr McGowan confirmed forensic testing found the substance was not harmful and said it was linked to the mandatory vaccination rules.
“Whoever did this is a coward of the highest order,” he said.
“I urge anyone with any information about this to please provide that to Crime Stoppers.”
Support for struggling businesses
Businesses affected by the border delay have been thrown a new lifeline, with the premier announcing a $77 million support package.
“It’s a shot in the arm for businesses and organisations in international education, tourism, aviation and the events sectors, some of whom are doing it tough,” Mr McGowan said.
International education will be boosted by $6m in support for grants of $50,000 and $100,000 to assist education providers impacted by the international border closure.
An $8m student quarantine support program will help students arriving for September 1, along with a $2m boost for universities to deliver support for affected international students.
Eligible tourism businesses will be able to apply for either a $10,000 grant or $20,000 to offset expenses incurred while preparing for the border opening; or up to $50,000 to cover refunded deposits from cancelled interstate and international bookings.
Other travel-related support includes a $10 million to the aviation recovery fund and a $3m support fund for travel agents.
Support will also be offered to the events industry, with a $10m expansion of the Getting the Show Back on the Road Program to cover up to 75 per cent of lost ticket sales for some businesses.
WA COVID cases: reports highest number of local cases at 37 infections as Omicron spreads - 7NEWS
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