COVID-19: Three Eaton Fair stores listed among new exposure sites, but no new Bunbury cases recorded

Bunbury recorded no new cases of COVID-19 on Wednesday, but a string of new exposure sites at the region’s biggest shopping precinct have been revealed.

It comes as authorities revealed they had told an oil carrier bound for the city’s port carrying eight positive cases to wait at sea.

Western Australia recorded 17 new locally acquired cases, including two that were not linked to any known cluster and one which was a teacher at Winterfold Primary School in Beaconsfield.

On Tuesday, two new cases linked to the cluster at Albemarle’s lithium hydroxide plant were detected, meaning the region’s tally of cases stands at 23.

Four locations, all at the Eaton Fair Shopping Centre, have been added to the list of sites visited by confirmed cases.

The shopping centre itself was visited twice — on Thursday January 27 between 2pm and 4pm and the following day between 1.30pm and 5pm — while the Noodler’s, between 4.45pm and 5pm on Friday, the Priceline pharmacy between 2.15pm and 2.30pm on the same day, and Eaton Coles between 1.30pm and 2.10pm, also on Friday, have all been listed.

Anyone who visited any of the Eaton locations listed should monitor for symptoms.

Meanwhile, Collie residents are also being urged to follow health advice after exposure sites in the town were recorded for the first time.

Anyone who went to the McDonald’s on Throssell Street between noon and 12.05pm on January 26, the Collie Sunset Movie Series at Central Park between 7.30pm and 10pm, or to Forrest French Hot Bread on Forrest Street on January 24 from 12.30-12.45 is being asked to monitor for symptoms unless directly advised otherwise by Health Department officials.

Collie Shire president Sarah Stanley said it was “not surprising” the virus had made its way into the Collie community with the number of essential workers needing to travel through the region throughout the pandemic.

On Tuesday, the MV Ballard ship, which was due to dock in the Bunbury port on Thursday, was told to drop anchor and wait at sea.

Of the 23 crew members on board the oil carrier, which last docked at Manila, eight have tested positive.

All infected crew members are isolating in their cabins.