There were no new local COVID cases reported in the West yesterday as 2 million people completed day one of their 5-day hard lockdown. The hotel security guard whose infection sparked the decision was confirmed to have the highly infectious UK strain of the virus leading officials to back their approach. The testing of his 66 close contacts is underway as 13 high-risk contacts’ samples came back negative. All “encouraging” signs, but the next 5 days will be “critical”, officials said yesterday. What did make the day difficult for some Perth residents was an out-of-control bushfire burning in the northeastern suburb of Wooroloo. Residents were told to leave their homes if they weren’t safe. Meanwhile in Canberra, Perth resident/Attorney-General Christian Porter was granted an exemption to leave self-isolation to attend to business in Parliament and the High Court. Other WA pollies can also apply for an exemption because ACT officials consider politicians to be ‘essential workers’. Which might be the first time in history that’s happened…