Less than 10 coronavirus patients remain in hospital in Western Australia, bolstering the case for further restrictions to be loosened.
WA’s tally remains at 551 after the state on May 2 recorded its third straight day of no new cases.
The number of active cases has fallen to just 23 including six from the Artania cruise ship and one from interstate.
Eight of those people are in hospital with three in intensive care.
Having already increased the two-person indoor and outdoor gathering limit to 10, the state government will look to ease further restrictions in the coming weeks.
On May 8 the national cabinet meeting will guide any changes, along with discussions with the state’s chief health officer and police commissioner.
The reopening of cafes and restaurants could be the next step with preparations already underway for a hospitality industry restart.
But regional travel restrictions are likely to remain in place for the foreseeable future.
“We'll be looking for two things - things which are small in terms of a public health risk but are strong in terms of their benefit to the economy,” Health Minister Roger Cook said.
“We want to get people back to work. Jobs are a single focus for us in relation to the COVID-19 pandemic.”
Cook said WA had recorded just 20 cases of influenza last month.
More than 445,000 West Australians have already received the flu shot, which is free for primary school-aged children this year.
