WA to reopen to NSW and Victoria from December 8
Travellers from all jurisdictions across Australia, except South Australia, will be able to freely travel to Western Australia without the need to quarantine from December 8.
WA Premier Mark McGowan announced the changes to the state’s border policy on Tuesday morning at Perth Airport.
The move brings WA into step with the rest of the country which in recent weeks has reopened to Victoria and New South Wales.
Victoria has achieved 32 consecutive days without a community case while New South Wales has achieved 24 days and, pending no further cases, is expected to reach elimination status of 28 days on Saturday.
Mr McGowan said he received updated health advice on Monday evening.
“The controlled interstate border is a uniquely Western Australian arrangement put in place to keep out state safe and strong and it has worked," he said.
“WA has gone 233 days without a single case of COVID-19 in our community, a remarkable achievement thanks to the effort of every Western Australian.”
Victoria and New South Wales, from December 8, pending no community cases, will move to a ‘very low’ risk category under WA’s system, joining the NT, Queensland, the ACT and Tasmania.
The category requires travellers to complete a declaration prior to their arrival, and take part in a health screening at Perth Airport.
People with COVID-19 symptoms are not permitted to enter.
Mr McGowan said the border, however, would remain closed to South Australia.
South Australia’s Parafield cluster, sparked by a security guard catching COVID-19, has 14 active cases, all close contacts of existing cases.
“We are not yet at the point where we can relax the current border controls [with South Australia],” he said.
He described Australia's response to the pandemic as a "shining light" to the whole world.
Heather McNeill is a senior journalist at WAtoday.