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Western Australia will finally reopen its borders to all states and territories as of November 14, but some restrictions will remain for people from New South Wales and Victoria.
Prime Minister Mark McGowan says the time is right to move to a new “controlled interstate border” after a drop in Covid-19 cases across the country.
For the past six months, the only people allowed into WA were forced laborers and those who were granted limited exemptions out of compassion.
Darrian Traynor / Getty Images
Covid-19 cases are dropping in Australia.
Under the new regime, anyone will be able to enter as long as they complete a G2G application and meet health requirements.
People who have recently been to New South Wales and Victoria will need to self-quarantine in a suitable location.
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They will also be asked to test for Covid on day 11 of their quarantine period and upon arrival if deemed necessary.
People arriving from all other states and territories, considered “very low risk” jurisdictions, should not be quarantined but must undergo a health exam, temperature check and show they have not recently been to New Wales del Sur or Victoria.
“I want Western Australians to know that we will not move down this path unless we have the clear health council to do so,” McGowan told reporters on Friday.
“The time is right, the conditions are right, and I’m very confident that our border control arrangements strike the right balance.
Darrian Traynor / Getty Images
Western Australia’s new rules will require those in quarantine to be tested for Covid-19.
“It is not something radical, it is not something vastly different. It is not a return to normalcy. This is a strong and tough measure that still has protections for our state.”
The decision was approved by the state disaster council after receiving the latest advice from the director of health.
McGowan says the trigger for moving through the new border controls will be a 14-day moving average of fewer than five community cases.
This is currently being accomplished in all states and territories.
But the prime minister warned that any significant increase in cases over the next fortnight could force a delay.
Darrian Traynor / Getty Images
Western Australia’s prime minister says he will not hesitate to reintroduce a hard border if necessary to combat Covid-19.
“I will not hesitate to reintroduce the hard border if that is what is needed to protect the health of Western Australians,” he said.
Anyone who does not report a recent trip to New South Wales or Victoria could face criminal charges, he said.
The quarantine requirement for those states will be lifted once 28 days pass without community spread, as all other jurisdictions have achieved.
Also starting on Saturday, exempt New Zealand travelers who are approved to enter WA through the travel bubble with NSW and NT will be able to self-quarantine rather than go into hotel quarantine on their own.
Liberal state and federal MPs, along with business groups, have long called for greater certainty at WA’s borders, while the tourism industry warns it has lost more than $ 2 billion in the past six months.
Billionaire mining magnate Clive Palmer is still scheduled to challenge the constitutionality of the border closures in Superior Court next week.
“We will continue to fight that case very hard,” McGowan said.
“We still have a controlled border. This is still unprecedented territory.”
WA registered a new case on Friday: a woman in her 20s who is in hotel quarantine after returning from abroad.
The state has 46 active cases.
