Beaches remain open in Western Australia as police praise the public for respecting coronavirus physical distancing rules

This article is more than 5 months old

This article is more than 5 months old

Police have praised West Australian beachgoers for respecting physical distancing rules as Perth sweltered through its hottest April day on record.

Perth’s temperature reached 39.5C on Saturday, eclipsing the previous April record set in 1910.

Authorities had been on standby to close beaches given the combination of the hot weather and the Easter break.

But patrolling officers reported people were obeying the rules and practising physical distancing.

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“We’ve seen good behaviours generally right across our beaches, our high-contact areas where people generally congregate,” the police commissioner, Chris Dawson, said.

“People are really accepting the advice and we’re not seeing many instances at all where people are grouping together.”

WA recorded eight new coronavirus cases overnight, taking the state’s total to 514.

All the cases were in the Perth metropolitan area and linked to either overseas travel or cruise ships, including three crew members from the Artania liner.

Dawson said 12 people had faced charges related to breaching quarantine and isolation rules, and a further eight had been issued $1,000 fines.

Those fined included a 65-year-old man who was turned away at a checkpoint north of Perth only to attempt to get in through back roads.

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Under WA’s intrastate travel bans, people must have an exemption to move between the state’s nine designated regions.

WA has also implemented a hard border with the eastern states, denying entry to anyone who does not meet a narrow set of criteria.

The premier, Mark McGowan, said he hoped WA would eventually be able to remove some of the restrictions within the state.

“We’ve had very, very low levels of community transmission,” he told 6PR radio.

“That’s a really good sign. That’s better than virtually anywhere else in the world.

“What I’d like to see happen over time is watch how it develops, review it each month ... to see if any can be eased and any tightened up.

“And if at the end of a month we can ease some, and hopefully get a bit more normality back without risking anyone, then that’s the sort of approach we’ll take.”