Western Australia and South Australia could become coronavirus ‘guinea pigs’ and ease lockdowns

Two Australian states could become ‘guinea pigs’ for easing the strict lockdown measures in place to slow the spread of the coronavirus.

Western Australia and South Australia are the first two states likely to have lockdown measures relaxed as Australia’s infection rate slows to just two per cent.

The two states have the lowest number of cases and community transmissions out of all the mainland states – with WA having 481 and and South Australia 420.

The proposed road test in WA and SA is believed to be among the options that will be presented to premiers in the two states, government sources told The Courier-Mail.

Any strategy would be guided by COVID-19 modelling conducted within the states -and would only be extended to the epicentre states of New South Wales and Victoria after careful consideration. 

Western Australia has some of the strictest social distancing rules and laws in the country, with police patrolling highways to stop unnecessary travel between nine designated regions in the state.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison has said Australians face six months of disruption to their daily lives, but the restriction easing could mean certain businesses may reopen in the coming weeks. 

Health minister Greg Hunt has already hinted Australia is in a position where officials can start looking forwards to a ‘road out’ of the coronavirus crisis.

This is despite the total number of cases hitting 6,000 on Wednesday and the number of deaths from COVID-19 reaching 50 by Thursday morning. 

A masked couple in Perth on March 27. Successful road tests in WA and South Australia could lead the nationwide relaxing of social distancing measures

‘It [the exit strategy] is likely to be in steps and stages that we can test and reverse,’ he said.

‘One of the happy challenges that we have as a consequence of the success of the recent weeks is that people are already looking beyond.  

‘We are very clear that we believe that this is a six-month process. 

‘That doesn’t mean all of the restrictions are in place, and wherever we can, we will look at those.’ 

The growing optimism about the falling growth rate has led to hope the National Rugby League could resume its competition as early as May 21.

The restart will receive the backing of the NSW government. 

Hospital staff test people outside the Tanunda War Memorial Hospital in the Barossa Valley, northeast of Adelaide on March 31

According to NSW Deputy Premier John Barilaro, the NRL is the tonic Australia needs to endure the deadly coronavirus.

Barilaro described watching rugby league as being fundamentally Australian, and it is important some sort of normality is achieved during the crisis.

‘You measure risk versus the economic uplift, the social uplift, the mental wellbeing uplift,’ Barilaro said on Fox League Live.

‘And there’s no doubt that the NRL is the tonic we need to get through this virus.’ 

An innovative committee will present a number of proposals to the Commission, including temporarily relocating non-Sydney teams to the Harbour City.

How long the likes of Brisbane, North Queensland, Gold Coast, Melbourne and the Warriors stay in Sydney depends on interstate travel restrictions.

It is understood some teams could be housed in the Sydney Olympic Park precinct, while the Panthers Rugby League Academy is another option.

Barilaro said the league would have the government’s backing to restart its season, which was suspended after round two, to resume as early as May 21.