CORONAVIRUS — RESTRICTIONS —
PLAYGROUNDS
384. Mr A. KRSTICEVIC to the Premier:
Given there is no community transmission of COVID-19, can the
Premier please explain why playgrounds will be closed for the Western Australia
Day long weekend, preventing families from enjoying some much needed play
activities with their children?
Mr M. McGOWAN
replied:
We have not opened playgrounds outside gyms or skate parks on
health advice. We have permitted a bunch of other things to open with a higher
number of participants than is the case in many other states at this point in
time, whether they be restaurants, cafes, libraries, swimming pools or
community centres. Some forms of exercise have been permitted to open, and we have brought down virtually all the
borders within Western Australia, although not the interstate border, as
part of a staged approach to these things. Clearly, we have discussions every
single day with the Chief Health Officer and the director general of the
Department of Health about what measures can be relaxed and when. All the
states have agreed that it will be a staged process over time. Different states
have done different things at different points in time. Obviously, I would like
to have playgrounds open, and we will open them as soon as we can based upon
health advice.