Coronavirus daily update – 17 January

Five things you need to know about the coronavirus pandemic this Monday.

1. The coronavirus alert zone has spread to include the South West including Mammoth Cave and Karri Valley Resort. The list also includes Perth venues in the suburbs of Swan View, Northbridge, Cannington, Mundaring and well as six stores at Garden City Shopping Centre in Booragoon and five stores at Midland Gate. For more information visit the Healthy WA website
2. Proof of coronavirus vaccination requirements will apply state-wide for people aged 16 years and over and will be expanded to include new higher-risk venues as of Monday 31 January 2022.
3. The WA government expects to have 8.5 million rapid antigen tests available by Saturday 5 February.
4. To date, 325 cases of variant strains have been detected in Western Australia – including 120 Omicron strain, 53 Alpha strain, 15 Beta strain, one Gamma strain and 137 Delta strain.
5. Perth festival cancels large-scale opening event – Escape. It was due to run on 11-12 February across multiple Fremantle sites but the event organisers have cancelled it due to growing risks associated with the spread of coronavirus and concerns around Perth Festival’s capacity to present the event safely in a large public open space.