WA may be 'bolder' in easing virus rules

Western Australia can be more ambitious in easing COVID-19 restrictions after a testing program of asymptomatic frontline workers detected no cases, the health minister says.

Roger Cook said the DETECT Snapshot program wrapped up last week with more than 18,500 test results finding no coronavirus.

"DETECT Snapshot, I think, should provide the community with great confidence ... that we've got no undetected transmission of the disease in WA," Mr Cook told reporters on Tuesday.

The government remains adamant its hard interstate border restrictions, denying entry to anyone for non-essential reasons, will remain in place until there is no longer sustained community transmission in the eastern states.

The border closure has allowed WA to move quicker on some restrictions, including halving the four square metre rule for indoor and outdoor venues and allowing diners at hospitality venues before most other states.

Mr Cook said the asymptomatic test results also helped the government as it planned to move into phase four restrictions in the coming weeks.

"It obviously gives us more confidence to be bolder and to be more ambitious, even more so than we currently are," he said.

"With DETECT Snapshot in our back pocket, that gives us further confidence that we can go even further in relation to phase four."

Of the test results available so far, 61 per cent were healthcare workers, 12 per cent were school staff and 10 per cent came from the retail sector.

A testing program at 40 public schools, which is run by the Telethon Kids Institute, also started last week for staff and students.

WA recorded no new coronavirus cases overnight, leaving the state's total at 602, with only two active cases and none in hospital.

National jobs figures released on Tuesday showed total wages in WA had decreased by 10.7 per cent during the pandemic, albeit from a high base.

Premier Mark McGowan said the recovery would be a long-term process but the state economy had strong fundamentals, including ongoing mining operations.

"There's the prospect of a second wave around the world. Let's not kid ourselves that this is going to be easy," he told reporters.

"But the good thing about Western Australia is we are getting our economy back up more quickly than any other part of Australia ... our state, I expect, will be stronger, our economy will be stronger than the other states in Australia."