Contact tracers are gearing up ahead of Western Australia's anticipated reopening date, as more and more locations around the state are listed as potential exposure sites.
Locations in the South West, Kimberley and Goldfields have all been flagged during recent WA Health alerts, with teams on standby for when the floodgates are expected to open on February 5.
WA Health contact tracing unit Ben Scalley says there are 188 people based in Perth dedicated to working on tracing the virus, with recruitment efforts underway to pull in public servants from across government departments to join the efforts.
"We've been training up public sector staff from all different departments within government, as well as other people across some roles in health, to help."
Dr Scalley said staff based in regional WA had also have been able to pivot their skills tracing other viruses, like measles, to tracing COVID-19.
"We've really bolstered a lot of our capacity in the contact tracing space to be ready," he said.
Regional teams
Contact tracing teams have been based in Port Hedland, Geraldton, Kalgoorlie, Bunbury, Albany and Northam, with satellite offices in Carnarvon and Busselton.
A small unit is also based in Broome, where a recent exposure site notification prompted the first alert for Kimberley locals in nearly two years.
On December 30, an offshore worker attended Divers Tavern between 11am and 12.45pm, before returning to Queensland, where he subsequently tested positive.
Dr Scalley reiterated the risk of exposure was extremely low at the time of his visit, but said anyone who developed symptoms should isolate and get tested immediately.
He said the site was listed because authorities couldn't establish that the man wasn't infectious.
Dr Scalley said wearing a mask and following correct COVID-19 protocols had also lowered the risk of infection at the time of the man's visit, and there were also no concerns around the man's offshore workplace.
No further exposure sites in Broome have been listed by WA Health.
