Most of WA's level 2 COVID restrictions are set to be eased from next Thursday, Premier Mark McGowan has announced, as the state's COVID death toll rose to its highest ever level and seven more deaths were recorded.
Mr McGowan said COVID measures could be eased because cases in WA had stopped doubling.
In total, 8,616 new cases were recorded, up by about 200 from yesterday, setting a fresh record.
There are now 42,988 active cases in the state, with 209 in hospital, up from 194 yesterday.
Of those, nine are in intensive care.
"At this point in time, it appears the doubling of case numbers has stopped, which is a good thing."
Vaccination rate credited for restrictions easing
Mr McGowan pointed out that cumulatively, WA had recorded more COVID cases than modelling had anticipated but hospitalisations had remained low.
"Even more importantly we are well below predicted intensive care admissions, this is wonderful news," he said.
"It reinforces why temporarily delaying our full border reopening was the right move, as it enabled West Australians to roll up and get their third dose vaccinations."
The Premier said WA's world-leading vaccination rates meant the state had avoided some of the struggles with Omicron seen elsewhere.
"And that means we are now on course for the soft landing West Australian have been aiming for," he said.
The majority of WA infections continue to be identified by rapid antigen tests, accounting for 4,768 of today's cases.
The remaining 3,848 were detected from 18,288 PCR swabs taken yesterday.
In total, seven deaths were reported by WA Health today.
One was a woman in her 80s who had tested positive before passing away on Wednesday.
The remaining six dated back almost two weeks but were only reported to health authorities yesterday.
They include a man in his 40s, two men in their 60s, a man in his 70s and a man in his 90s.
Chief Health Officer Andy Robertson said yesterday WA should reach its peak of 10,000 daily COVID cases "in the next couple of weeks" as authorities keep a close eye on the BA.2 sub-variant.
Supermarket check-ins scrapped
The easing of restrictions to Level 1 measures will be done with some modification based on risk.
Mandatory check-ins will be abolished except at venues that also carry proof of vaccination requirements.
"You'll no longer need to check in at the supermarket or at the shops," Mr McGowan said.
"But you will at a restaurant, café or the pub."
Indoor mask-wearing is set to remain, including for children in years three and above, but restrictions on gatherings have eased.
More capacity at parties
Indoor home gatherings will be capped at 30 people again, up from 10.
Private outdoor gatherings will be limited to a total of 200 people, with a two square metre rule in place.
Hospitality venues, nightclubs, fitness venues, entertainment venues, hair and beauty services will all be covered by a two-square-metre capacity rule, as will Perth's Crown Casino complex.
In hospitality venues and nightclubs, the capacity will be capped at 500, before the cap is 'safely removed' from April 14.
Standing service will also be allowed to resume.
The capacity limit at theatres, cinemas and major stadiums will be increased to 75 per cent.
Masks will no longer be required at outdoor events such as AFL games at Perth stadium.
However, strict visitation rules are set to remain unchanged at hospitals, aged care centres, and disability care facilities.
The vaccine mandate for venues and workers will also remain in place, as will the test and isolation settings for critical workers, schools, and childcare.
But West Australians who have recovered from COVID will now be exempt from classification as a close contact for 12 weeks after their infection, up from the current eight weeks.
Higher case numbers likely
The Premier warned that cases would likely continue rising this week, but should not be cause for concern.
"As we sit at the crest of the wave, we are likely to still see a few more days of higher case numbers," he said.
"Western Australians should know and understand that, but it is not a cause for worry.
"Our COVID-settings are right, our vaccination rates are the best in the world, and our hospital and testing systems are well prepared."
Mr McGowan said the impact of changing restrictions would be monitored and the government intended to ease restrictions even further as soon as it was safe to do so.
"After these measures kick in, we'll monitor the infection rate, but also monitor the hospitalisation and ICU rates," he said.
"Hospitalisation and intensive care are the best measures to watch as to the impact of the virus in Western Australia.
"Because our situation is different, because we have such high vaccination levels, many people are contracting Omicron but they're really not getting very sick."
Mr McGowan said the decision was consistent with advice from the Chief Health Officer.
