All 12 WA's schools run by the Anglican Schools Commission are asking parents to keep their children at home from today and have outlined plans to move to online learning.

Key points: WA schools will remain open until the Easter holidays in three weeks

WA schools will remain open until the Easter holidays in three weeks But all Anglican schools are urging children to move to online learning

But all Anglican schools are urging children to move to online learning A Perth private school has closed after a parent contracted COVID-19

Chief executive officer of the Anglican Schools Commission (ASC), Reverend Peter Laurence, said the decision was made in response to increased community concern about COVID-19 and a decrease in student attendance.

"Moving to our online learning programs will provide the same continuation of learning for all students and allow those parents who wish to keep their children at home to do so," he said.

"We are asking all families who are able to keep their children at home from tomorrow.

"Schools remains open for those families who do not have the ability to stay at home and care for them due to work commitments, and to ensure essential workers are able to continue in the job they are doing."

The decision affects 12 WA schools run by the ASC, including:

St Mark's Anglican Community School in Hillarys

St Mark's Anglican Community School in Hillarys John Wollaston Anglican Community School in Kelmscott

John Wollaston Anglican Community School in Kelmscott John Septimus Roe Anglican Community School in Beechboro and Mirrabooka

John Septimus Roe Anglican Community School in Beechboro and Mirrabooka Frederick Irwin Anglican School in Mandurah

Frederick Irwin Anglican School in Mandurah Peter Moyes Anglican Community School in Mindarie

Peter Moyes Anglican Community School in Mindarie Georgiana Molloy Anglican School in Busselton

Georgiana Molloy Anglican School in Busselton Swan Valley Anglican Community School in Aveley

Swan Valley Anglican Community School in Aveley Peter Carnley Anglican Community School in Wellard

Peter Carnley Anglican Community School in Wellard Esperance Anglican Community School in Esperance

Esperance Anglican Community School in Esperance St James' Anglican School in Alkimos, and

St James' Anglican School in Alkimos, and St George's Anglican Grammar School in Perth

Many other Independent Anglican schools remain open.

In a letter to parents, St Mark's principal Steven Davies said he "strongly urged families" to keep children at home, commencing today.

"The school will move exclusively to distance learning from next Monday, March 30 and will continue this learning until the last day of Term 1 on Thursday April 9. The usual school holiday dates will apply," he wrote.

"We caution against using older grandparents or relatives for child care during this time due to the increased risk of COVID-19 for this group.

"It is important we all care for each other and understand that each of us is doing their best in unusual and unprecedented circumstances."

St Hilda's school in the Perth suburb of Claremont also sent a letter saying they would move all classes online to give parents the choice of sending their children to school or keeping them home.

"While the school may not be as lively as it usually is from next Tuesday, the buildings and the playgrounds are not the making of a school," school council chair Nita Peploe said.

"It is the people connected to it.

"We will all have to work a little harder to keep connected, to stay positive and to help our children through what will be an uncertain period of their lives."

Premier says schools will stay open

West Australian Premier Mark McGowan confirmed government schools would stay open, but said parents could choose to keep their children at home after the state relaxed its education laws.

"Leaders agreed that children should continue to go to school, this is based on the best of medical advice," Mr McGowan said.

"I've always said that closing schools is a last resort. But I understand many parents are concerned and want to keep their children home at this time.

"It is for that reason that we relax the law and provide parents with choice.

WA COVID-19 snapshot Confirmed cases so far: 662

Confirmed cases so far: 662 Recovered: 650

Recovered: 650 Deaths: 9

Deaths: 9 Total tests: 395,402 Latest information from the WA Health Department





"If parents decide not to send their kids to school, we will not enforce the law that requires you to do so.

"But I stress if parents do decide to keep their children home, parents must abide by all other laws and that includes all new social distancing rules that have been introduced."

The state's schools will remain open until the end of term.

Private school first in WA to close

St Andrew's Grammar in the Perth suburb of Dianella has become the first school in Western Australia to close because of COVID-19, after a parent tested positive to the virus.

Principal Craig Monaghan said the family had two children at the school, in years one and four.

The Orthodox Christian and Hellenic co-educational school has about 400 students, from kindergarten to year 12, and 50 staff.

Mr Monoghan said the father's children were at the school for three days before he tested positive on Friday.

St Andrew's Grammar school in Perth's north has shut down after a parent tested positive to COVID-19. ( Supplied: Google Street View )

Mr Monaghan says he asked the Health Department for advice on Saturday and was told on Sunday the family had to self-isolate, but the school could stay open.

"It would have been better for our community if I had got an earlier answer, but to give them credit they did give me an answer," he told ABC Radio Perth.

"We took that advice strongly into consideration, but in the end we wanted to be sure for the safety of our kids."

He said the school was not contact tracing all the people with whom the two children had been in contact.

"No, the children themselves don't have symptoms," he said.

"They haven't been tested positive, so until that happens there's no need to follow the contacts they had in those three days."

He said the father had dropped the children at school but "it wasn't a prolonged visit".

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Website launched to help home school children

If parents choose to pull their children from the public school system, resources will be provided for students to continue their studies from home for the remainder of the term.

The WA Education Department has launched a new website called Learning at Home to help parents access those resources.

"The advice from the chief health officers is that the closure of schools poses a major risk to children's education, their mental health and wellbeing," Education Minister Sue Ellery said.

"Particularly those from low socioeconomic areas where schools provide an important environment."

Ms Ellery said the potential exposure of elderly relatives who may have to step in to care for children was also significant.

"The evidence of the benefits of closures at this stage is minimal," she said.

"Chief health officers are of the view that school closures are likely to be more effective when approaching the peak of the epidemic and enforced for a shorter period."

12 COVID-19 patients in hospital

The number of coronavirus cases in Western Australia has increased by 20.

It brings the number of diagnosed cases to 140, including one death.

A total of 12 patients are in hospital and two are listed in a critical condition.

Of the new cases, six are passengers from the Ruby Princess cruise ship.

People queue in front of a COVID-19 fever clinic on the first day it opened near Royal Perth Hospital. ( ABC News: Benjamin Gubana )

Meanwhile, a new Armadale COVID-19 clinic opened on Monday.

Rockingham is also set to open a clinic and Midland and Joondalup will follow on Wednesday.

Mr Cook said 9,948 people had so far been tested for the virus, with 1,283 of those from regional areas.

Who should present to COVID-19 clinics? People who have EITHER a fever of 38 degrees Celsius OR acute respiratory infection

People who have Symptoms to look out for include fever, shortness of breath, cough or sore throat

Symptoms to look out for include or Patients who are tested should remain isolated at home until they receive their test results. Major clinics have been set up at Perth hospitals including Royal Perth, Sir Charles Gairdner, Fiona Stanley, Joondalup, Armadale, Rockingham and St John of God Midland. They are open from 8:00am–8:00pm daily. In Southern WA a clinic is operating at Bunbury Health Campus from 10:00am–4:00pm daily. In Northern WA a clinic is operating at Broome Hospital from 8:30am–4:00pm daily. Outside these areas, people with symptoms should present to their local hospital. For more information go to the Health Department website.

Extensive business closures kick in

Mr McGowan criticised those in the community flouting strict social distancing measures.

"Too many people in our community are disregarding the social distancing measures," he said.

"By doing so they are not just putting themselves at risk, they are putting the lives of older and vulnerable Australians at risk.

"To the minority — you need to listen to the advice, this is a matter of life and death.

"Do the right thing, follow the rules and if someone is ignoring them, call them out."

From midday yesterday, licensed clubs, pubs, cinemas, casinos, nightclubs, indoor sporting venues, libraries and museums and places of worship were forced to close.

Bars and pubs in WA are now closed, while restaurants and cafes are only permitted to operate as takeaway services. ( ABC South East: Bec Whetham )

Restaurants and cafes are restricted to takeaway service only.

"This is regrettable and very, very sad. I feel terrible, I feel terrible about this," Mr McGowan said.

"It's necessary to protect us all. If we don't go down this path, more and more people will be infected with COVID-19.

"This is about saving lives, it's as simple as that."

Mr McGowan said the reality would be "devastation" for thousands of businesses and would change life as we know it.

"And we might need to go even further," Mr McGowan said.

"Stage two of restrictions, if we go down that path, will be more extreme and impact our lives even more."