Western Australia introduces even TOUGHER border restrictions – here’s what you need to know about Mark McGowan’s new rules
- Western Australia toughens its border restrictions in new Covid-19 response
- Travellers from SA, Queensland banned from WA with a few rare exceptions
- Queensland and SA now deemed ‘extreme risks’ by WA premier Mark McGowan
Western Australia has escalated its COVID-19 pandemic response with tougher border rules, banning Queenslanders and South Australians.
From Friday at 6pm, the two states will be deemed ‘extreme risk’ with travellers not permitted into WA except in extraordinary circumstances.
Premier Mark McGowan says both states had recorded significant COVID-19 case spikes in recent days.
Disparately, WA recorded one new Covid case on Thursday – a 27-year-old unvaccinated backpacker feared to have been infectious in the community.
WA Premier Mark McGowan has banned travelers from Queensland, SA except in extraordinary cases
From Friday at 6pm, the two states will be deemed ‘extreme risk’ with neither SA or Queensland travellers not permitted into WA except in extraordinary circumstances
The traveller was a close contact of another previously reported case with whom he shared a bathroom, bringing the cluster connected to a French backpacker to 13.
‘It is believed he has been infectious in the community, so therefore there are further exposure sites,’ Mr McGowan said on Thursday.
‘The arrival of the Omicron variant in Australia has seen cases surge in both Queensland and South Australia, and unfortunately we expect this trend to continue.’
Travellers from the two states approved for entry into WA under their previous classification of high risk have been warned to move quickly.
Under the extreme risk classification, travel exemptions are only approved for commonwealth and state officials, members of parliament, diplomats, and people who perform specialist roles.
Extraordinary circumstances entry applications will be assessed by WA police or Chief Health Officer Andy Robertson.
All approved travellers must be double-dose vaccinated and have returned a negative PCR test 72 hours before arriving in WA.
Extraordinary circumstances entry applications from Queenslanders and South Australian who wish to visit WA will be assessed by WA police or Chief Health Officer Andy Robertson
They also must undertake hotel quarantine at a state-run facility for 14 days at their expense and get tested for the virus on days one, five and 13.
It comes a day after WA has detected two new local COVID-19 cases linked to an infected French backpacker who travelled from Queensland.
The community cluster which sprang from Perth Mess Hall dance party 10 days ago has grown to 12 infections with fears more cases may follow.
New exposure sites in WA include Dominos Pizza in East Fremantle on December 28, BP on Queen Victoria Street in Fremantle on the same day, an O’Connor climbing gym the day before and Farmer Jack’s Spearwood on December 26.
WA’s first dose vaccination rate climbs to 91.7 per cent for people over 12 and 83.6 per cent double
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