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Perth has sweltered through its warmest April day on record, with police continuing to warn beachgoers about the importance of social distancing amid another eight WA cases of coronavirus.
Key points:
- The BOM said the temperature was "fairly unusual" this late in the year
- Police have been patrolling beaches enforcing social distancing rules
- WA has recorded eight new cases of COVID-19, taking its total to 514
The temperature in the city reached 39.5 degrees Celsius just before 2:00pm, breaking the previous record of 37.6C set on April 9, 1910.
Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) duty forecaster Max Strack said warmer weather in the state's north-western Gascoyne region had been pushed south by a trough off the west coast.
"It's a pattern that we typically see during the summer, so it's fairly unusual to have it this late in the year," she said.
There were concerns the hot weather would see police forced to close beaches, and officers have been out in force this weekend enforcing social distancing guidelines.
But WA Police Commissioner Chris Dawson praised the public for mostly sticking with the guidelines.
"We've seen good behaviours generally, right across our beaches and areas where people generally congregate," he said.
"People are really accepting the advice. We're not seeing many instances at all we're people are grouping together."
He said a total of 20 people in WA had so far been charged or fined for breaching coronavirus-related measures.
That includes 12 people who are due to face court after being charged with breaching quarantine or isolation rules, enforced under emergency management or public health laws.
The other eight have been issued with $1,000 fines for failing to follow social distancing measures.
Driver fined after evading regional checkpoint
Among those to be fined this week was a 65-year-old man who attempted to drive to Lancelin from Perth.
He was turned around at a regional checkpoint but hours later was stopped at the same checkpoint coming from Lancelin, and when questioned by police he admitted he had used back roads to get to the town.
Mr Dawson said there was no excuse for the man.
"If people choose to deliberately flout the law and put themselves and others at risk, we'll have no hesitation in charging them," he said.
Meanwhile, a 34-year-old man will face court again on Tuesday after he was charged with breaching quarantine.
The man had been quarantined at the Pan Pacific Hotel but allegedly left the property early Saturday morning, catching a taxi to Spearwood.
He was charged with failing to comply with a direction.
The man had been due to face Perth Magistrates Court on Saturday via phonelink from Hakea Prison, but he refused to speak to the court.
He was remanded in custody after the magistrate took the unusual step of visiting him in his cell to conduct a hearing.
Mr Dawson said the accused man's attitude was appalling.
"This fellow better reflect on his behaviour," he said.
Eight more WA coronavirus cases confirmed
Western Australia recorded eight new cases of COVID-19 overnight, all related to overseas travel and all in the metropolitan area.
Three of the new cases are from the Artania cruise ship and four are from the Costa Victoria.
That brings the state's total to 514 cases, with 12 patients in intensive care.
A total of 39 confirmed COVID-19 cases are still being treated in Perth hospitals.
More than 200 people in the state have recovered from the disease.
Premier Mark McGowan told 6PR radio the latest figures were encouraging, particularly considering most of the new cases were still linked to cruise passengers.
"In an overall sense we are having as many people recover as we are getting new cases, so our trend is very, very low, compared that with other countries, and clearly we are doing a lot better," he said.
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A spokeswoman said the Health Department continued to work closely with airlines and other government agencies to help Australian travellers from interstate return home after completing quarantine in WA.
The State Government will continue to accommodate those people until arrangements had been finalised.
The number of West Australians who have tested negative for the virus has grown to 21,591, with 4,408 of those taken in regional WA.
Monthly review could see WA restrictions eased
Mr McGowan said it was still expected restrictions would be in place for at least six months, but flagged the rules in WA would be reviewed toward the end of each month.
He said if things went badly, some restrictions may be tightened further, but if conditions continued to improve he hoped some rules might be relaxed.
"We're going to review it regularly to see if there is any restriction we are doing that isn't necessary and perhaps is causing social disharmony," he said.
"If at the end of a month we can ease some and hopefully get a bit more normality back without risking anyone, well then that is the sort of approach we will take."
Mr McGowan said the impact of the restrictions had been devastating for many people, but said the long weekend was not the time to become complacent.
"It pains me deeply what we've done to so many people's livelihoods, businesses, and jobs, and as soon as we're confident we can get those things resolved and get people back to work the happier I'll be," he said.
"But I don't want everyone to be complacent and that's why this Easter is going to be a great period for working out whether or not our measures are working.
"So by the end of Easter if our number are still very low, obviously it shows our measures are really working."
Mr McGowan said the Government was keeping a close eye on seven cruise ships still in WA waters or due to pass through on their way to ports overseas.
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He said The World was now near Geraldton but had no reported COVID-19 cases onboard, and the Radiance of the Seas had passed Perth and was near Exmouth.
"The other five are still coming across the Great Australian Bight or are down around Cape Leeuwin," he said.
"We're waiting for them to come past and be on their way and once they are all on their way we will breathe a bit easier."
Beaches set to stay open as weather cools
WA Health Minister Roger Cook said closing beaches would not be necessary as long as people continued to "do the right thing" to restrict the spread of coronavirus.
"If people do flout those measures and those guidelines, the police and local government authorities will take measures to close those beaches," he said.
"It's in the hands of the beachgoers."
Perth is set for a much cooler week ahead, with the temperature not forecast to break 27C.
Easter Sunday will be the warmest of the week before the maximum dips to 23C on Wednesday and Thursday.
"Once we see this trough move towards the east we'll get into more of a west-south-westerly flow, so those temperatures will be a bit cooler coming off the water," Ms Strack said.
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Topics: weather, covid-19, infectious-diseases-other, respiratory-diseases, diseases-and-disorders, health, perth-6000, wa
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