A big problem in SA - I've back and forward many times in the last few years - is that the 'locals' were lulled by the low infection numbers into going lax on the mitigation strategies. If I had a buck for each time I saw someone with his or her nose hanging out of the top of a mask, failure by a business to insist on check in and no social distancing during my most recent visit, I'd be very rich. A complete change from the previous visit.
The East coast has just about reached the end of the beginning of the practical long-term response to the pandemic. SA will catch up in the next couple of months. Standby for many more deaths.
The sovereign nation of WA? Who knows. I suppose it will depend on if and when the money runs out.