The WA Health Department has begun preparing the state's hospitals to ensure they can cope with a local coronavirus outbreak, which is now considered inevitable.

Key points: The risk of coronavirus spreading in WA is set to rise within weeks

The risk of coronavirus spreading in WA is set to rise within weeks Hospitals will be reconfigured and "fever clinics" are likely to be set up

Hospitals will be reconfigured and "fever clinics" are likely to be set up International travel by schools to all but three countries has been cancelled

Across the state, the number of intensive care beds is set to be dramatically increased to cater for an influx of coronavirus patients and certain wards or entire wings of hospitals may be set aside to keep infected patients isolated.

Mining company Fortescue Metals Group this afternoon placed one of its employees at the Christmas Creek mine site, 1,130 kilometres north-east of Perth, in isolation after they presented with symptoms requiring testing for coronavirus.

Chief executive Elizabeth Gaines said the worker had recently been travelling in Indonesia and their symptoms met the Health Department's minimum criteria for testing.

"The employee has been isolated pending the outcome of the test, which we anticipate receiving within 48 hours," Ms Gaines said.

"At this stage we do not anticipate any impact to production schedules and continue to monitor the situation closely."

WA chief health officer Andrew Robertson says a coronavirus outbreak is "probably inevitable". ( ABC News: James Carmody )

The virus has begun to spread rapidly outside of China and yesterday Australia reported its first cases of infection in patients who had not travelled overseas.

The latest Health Department modelling indicated there would be a higher risk of COVID-19 spreading through WA by late April or mid-May, while August was forecast to be the most dangerous period.

WA's chief medical officer Andrew Robertson said an outbreak in the state was now "probably inevitable".

"There are measures that could help delay it, certainly some of the border measures, [plus] self isolation and possibly quarantine if needed," he said.

"And we will continue to try and contain this disease. But we accept that we have to prepare for the next stage and make sure that our systems are best prepared for the likely pandemic."

'We may not have the resources': Minister

North Metropolitan Health Service chief executive Robin Lawrence has been appointed deputy chief health officer for clinical services, tasked with overseeing the reconfiguration of WA's hospital systems.

Robin Lawrence has been appointed deputy chief health officer in WA to help prepare for an outbreak. ( ABC News: James Carmody )

Many non-emergency elective surgeries are expected to be cancelled and doctors and nurses working desk jobs may be redeployed to treat patients on busy hospital wards.

"I don't want to sugar-coat it — moving to a pandemic mode is a very serious set of circumstances," WA Health Minister Roger Cook said.

Roger Cook says the state needs to significantly increase its intensive care capacity. ( ABC News: James Carmody )

"We may simply not have the physical resources to deal with this particular outbreak."

Senior meetings and talks convened

Specialised "fever clinics" and "respiratory clinics" are likely to be established as places where patients with less serious cases of coronavirus can receive more basic treatment, to take the load off hospitals.

"Part of the reason fever clinics may be so important is that we expect about 80 per cent of cases will be mild, and many of these people can go home and just be isolated at home and managed from home," Dr Robertson said.

This morning, the state's most senior public servants from each government department gathered for a Public Sector Leadership Council meeting to plan the wider response to the virus.

Cabinet ministers were also briefed by the chief medical officer to better understand what action could be required under their portfolios.

The cancellation of different public events, such as football games or concerts, and the closure of schools and various industries or workplaces could be ordered in the case of an extreme outbreak.

Tomorrow, Premier Mark McGowan will convene the State Emergency Management Committee, including WA Police Commissioner Chris Dawson, to plan responses that may be required by emergency services.

Schools cancel travel plans

WA Education Minister Sue Ellery announced international travel by staff and students from public, private and independent schools to most countries would be banned from today until further notice.

An exception has been made for travel to the United States, Canada and New Zealand, but Ms Ellery warned that may be revised if coronavirus became more dangerous in those countries.

"The theory and the principle behind that ban goes to our duty of care while students are travelling," she said.

"I've considered the difficulties for care arrangements for students in an emerging health crisis if, for example, a staff member became ill while travelling.

"I just want to reiterate, this is school-organised trips, this is not people's private travel that people may choose to take their children on."

Ms Ellery urged parents to contact schools directly with concerns about recuperating costs of cancelled trips, but she expected insurance policies would cover most bookings.

Education Minister Sue Ellery has cancelled most international trips for school students and teachers. ( ABC News: Andrew O'Connor )

Schools across the state have already put overseas trips on hold or cancelled them as a result of the WA Government's ban.

Shenton College, a public high school in Perth's western suburbs, had student trips planned to Japan, China and France, but all have been postponed.

The school was still planning to go ahead with a geography, history, politics and law trip to the US in July, and a music trip to Rotorua in New Zealand also in July.

A spokesperson for Presbyterian Ladies' College in Peppermint Grove said it was no longer processing payments for planned tours to France in April and trips to Cambodia, Stanford University in San Francisco and a Singapore sports tour.

Methodist Ladies College in Claremont sent an email to its students saying it did not know how the coronavirus outbreak would impact a planned European music tour.

"We need to continue to prepare for the tour as best we can in the hope that the arrival of spring in Europe brings good news," the email said.

"I am afraid no guarantees can be given though. Whatever the outcome, patience and a positive outlook will be required from us all."

The WA Education Department said there were no public students currently on overseas tours.

The director general of education had contacted the heads of Catholic Education and the Association of Independent Schools of Western Australia (AISWA) to coordinate a plan for dealing with the virus.

That plan was due to be finalised by close of business tomorrow, but would include measures to support online teaching methods if any schools were required to close.

Ms Ellery stressed the trigger point for the closure of any schools had not yet been finalised, but would not come in the very near future.

The State Government had also cancelled any non-critical state-funded overseas travel by public servants.

Premier Mark McGowan said works to upgrade some emergency departments, including at the Peel Health Campus in Mandurah, would be postponed to ensure hospitals remained operational.

"You have to close off part of it while you do the work, so we've deferred that until such time as we're past this crisis," he said.

"But the work will happen, it's just that we want to make sure that we maintain the maximum emergency department capability for the public during this period in time."

More than 600 tested for coronavirus in WA

Coronavirus testing in WA has escalated to the point where 30 to 40 people are being tested per day, but out of more than 600 tests conducted so far there have been no confirmed cases, outside of those who had been aboard the Diamond Princess cruise ship in Japan.

The only two infected patients in WA were a Perth couple who were brought to Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital under quarantine conditions after they were evacuated from the cruise ship to Darwin.

James and Theresa Kwan arrived at the hospital 11 days ago, but 78-year-old Mr Kwan's condition deteriorated and he died on Sunday as the first Australian fatality recorded from coronavirus.

Tributes have been paid to James Kwan after he died in isolation at Sir Charles Gardiner Hospital. ( Supplied: Australian Tourism Export Council )

Ms Kwan, 79, remains in a stable condition.

Mr Cook said the death was a tragic reminder the virus should be taken seriously and urged people to practice good hygiene, regularly washing their hands or using hand sanitiser.

He urged against wasting face masks before their use became a necessity and said there was no need to be panic-buying supplies.

"If people want to continue to buy up water and other products and that makes them feel more comfortable then that's a good thing, but it won't actually add any further to your protection," he said.

Health Department modelling indicates a coronavirus outbreak in WA could last up to 6 to 12 months.