Coronavirus crisis: Mark McGowan says WA recorded no new cases overnight after truck driver scare

WA has recorded no new local COVID-19 cases overnight after a fresh virus scare involving an interstate truck driver.

Premier Mark McGowan delivered the positive news at this morning’s opening of Rio Tinto’s COVID vaccination clinic at Perth Airport, which is available to FIFO workers in the resources industry.

He said WA authorities were alerted to the case involving the truck driver on Saturday, but did not tell the public until yesterday as the information was “sketchy” and the driver did not speak English.

The initial information was received from authorities in South Australia.

Mr McGowan said rapid antigen testing would be made compulsory for truck drivers arriving at the WA road border.

Yesterday, the Health Department released a list of potential exposure sites after it was notified the truck driver had returned a positive test result in Victoria on Tuesday — almost a week ago.

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The driver, who is in his 20s, was potentially infectious the whole time he was in WA, from September 30 to October 3.

Now in quarantine in a South Australian medi-hotel, the driver was tested at the border between SA and Victoria after he had been in WA.

The co-driver who travelled with him has returned a negative result.

The department said that while the risk to the general public was low, officials were working to identify any close or casual contacts of the infectious driver.

Australian Medical Association WA president Mark Duncan-Smith said news of yet another infectious truck driver was more evidence that “COVID is knocking on our door”.