Australia's Perth city to enter three-day lockdown from midnight

FILE PHOTO: People are seen walking their dogs while passing a graffiti in support of the NHS, as the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continues, Perth, Scotland, Britain, April 27, 2020. REUTERS/Russell Cheyne

SYDNEY (Reuters) - Western Australia's capital of Perth and the neighbouring Peel region will enter a snap three-day lockdown from midnight on Friday after a man tested positive for COVID-19 and was in the community for a number of days following hotel quarantine.

The person is likely to have contracted the virus during his two-week quarantine in a Perth hotel, health officials say, raising concerns about community transmission as more virulent virus strains emerge.

"I know this is hard to take and I wish we didn't need to do this. But we can't take any chances with the virus," Premier Mark McGowan said in a televised news conference.

(Reporting by Swati Pandey; Editing by Kim Coghill)