COVID-19 Update 23 March 2020

/in , /by

1 April 2020

Dear Parents and Guardians

RE: Coronavirus (COVID-19) Update

The Executive Director of Catholic Education, Dr Debra Sayce, has requested that we share the following information with our parents and community.

The restrictions on travel between regions in Western Australia came into effect overnight and mean that all Western Australians are only allowed to travel within the region of Western Australia that they live in.

These restrictions are being enacted under the Emergency Management Act, Part 6, Division 1, Section 67, which states:

The Direction will:

– Prohibit the movement of any person or vehicle into, out of, or around any part of an emergency area;

– Evacuate and remove any person from an emergency area and close any road, access route or area of water in or leading to an emergency area;

– The official direction from the Police Commissioner can be read here

The regions are:

– Perth and Peel
– South West
– Great Southern
– Goldfields-Esperance
– Mid-West
– Wheatbelt
– Gascoyne
– Pilbara
– Kimberley

For a detailed map showing the WA regional boundaries, please visit the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development Commission Website.

Restrictions announced last week for the locations below still apply:

– Kimberley (comprising all four local government areas)

– Shire of Ngaanyatjarraku

– Parts of the Shire of East Pilbara that encompass the communities of Jigalong, Martu homeland communities and Kiwirrkurra
Travel will only be permitted to other locales and towns within the regional area in which you currently reside. Police have the power to enforce these restrictions, and issue fines of up to $50,000.

There are currently no exemptions on the travel restrictions across regional boundaries for staff wishing to travel over the school holidays. This means staff who ‘prefer’ to be in another regional area to be with family and friends cannot leave the region.

Exemptions for all West Australians

Under the Direction, exemptions apply in some circumstances:

– people travelling to work

– threat of physical or psychological harm

– attending medical appointments

– transporting freight

– those who do not have access to groceries or supplies within their region

– returning to a place of residence

– attending school or an educational institution where necessary

– catering for family members

– compassionate grounds (as now defined in section 6. in the Directions document)

These exemptions are monitored and enforced by the WA Police.

Stay Healthy, Stay Calm and Stay United!

Pina Hutcheson
PRINCIPAL