Western Australia Premier Mark McGowan has announced the state's hard border will remain in place in response to the threat of the Omicron variant.
The state was due to re-open on February 5.
Whilst the hard border controls will remain, there will be more exemptions, especially for compassionate cases.
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"In light of what has occurred in the rest of the country, having closely assessed the situation over east, and listening to the latest health advice, we have reworked WA's safe transition plan to fit the environment that now confronts us," Mr McMcGowan said.
Who will be allowed to enter WA?
From 12.01am on Saturday, February 5, the hard border will stay, but with some new settings.
Returning Western Australians with strong recent connections or direct legitimate family connections with WA should be granted exemptions.
Compassionate grounds to travel to the state include: attending funerals, palliative care or terminally ill visitation, people entering for urgent and essential medical treatment, people entering for reasons of national and state security, and people with specialist skills not available in WA.
Commonwealth and state officials, members of parliament, diplomats and people with court proceedings will be allowed to enter.
Other special considerations will be given to extraordinary circumstances, as determined by the state emergency coordinator or Chief Health Officer.
What are the requirements once you enter WA?
Approved travellers from interstate will need to be an approved G2G pass traveller, have received a booster — if eligible — and return a negative pre-departure rapid antigen test 24 hours prior to departure (by uploading the result as part of the G2G pass application).
Those arrivals will need to undertake 14 days of self-quarantine at a suitable premise.
Mr McGowan said household members must also self-quarantine for the same duration and follow the same requirements, if sharing the same space..
"You also need to have PCR testing within 48 hours of arrival and on day 12 of self-quarantine," he said.
"Everyone at the self-quarantine premise is subject to mandatory use of G2G now and in-person checks will be undertaken by West Australian Police as and when required."
When will the border reopen now?
No new date has been announced for the border to reopen.
Mr McGowan said WA's booster shot rate currently sat at 25.8 per cent.
He said he was aiming to get that number as high as 80 or 90 per cent but stressed his government would be watching what happened "over east" throughout February.
He was hoping 35-38 per cent of the eligible population would have received a booster by February 5 but admitted the higher numbers would take "some time" to reach.
WA's updated transition plan (full detail)
From February 5 at 12.01am, approved travellers are permitted to enter WA, or leave WA and return, with testing and quarantine requirements under the new expanded exemption criteria:
– Returning Western Australians, with strong recent connections or direct legitimate family connections with WA;
– Compassionate grounds including funeral, palliative care or terminally ill visitation;
– Member of the family of an approved traveller;
– People entering for urgent and essential medical treatment;
– Reasons of national and state security;
– Commonwealth and State officials, Members of Parliament, Diplomats;
– Provision of specialist skills not available in WA, health services, emergency service workers;
– People required to attend court matters, judicial officers and staff of court, tribunals and commissions; and
– Special considerations and extraordinary circumstances determined by the State Emergency Coordinator or Chief Health Officer.
Interstate travel
If you're coming from interstate into WA as an approved traveller, you will now need to meet the following requirements:
– Have an approved G2G Pass, under new exemption criteria;
– Be triple dose vaccinated if eligible (double dose vaccinated if not eligible for third);
– Provide proof of a negative Rapid Antigen Test within 24 hours before departure;
– Undertake 14 days of self-quarantine at a suitable premises, with the same requirements for household members at the self-quarantine premises;
– PCR testing within 48 hours of arrival and on day 12 of self-quarantine, and household members will also be required to do a PCR test on the traveller's day 12.
– Subject to mandatory use of G2G Now and in-person checks by WA Police as required
Additional requirements are in place for domestic road travel to keep WA safe:
– Approved domestic travellers to limit travel to 1500km from road borders, to enable people to travel by road to suitable premises for quarantine in Perth from Eucla;
– Entry at the Kununurra border only for transport, freight and logistics and border community residents;
– Restricted travel into remote Aboriginal communities.
Overseas travel
International travel into WA will be permitted with the following requirements:
– Meet the Commonwealth requirements to enter Australia under the arrivals cap;
– Undertake 14 days of mandatory quarantine including, seven days in hotel quarantine and seven days of self-quarantine at suitable premise, if eligible,
– PCR testing on days one, six, nine and 12, and household members will also be required to do a PCR test on the traveller's day 12
– Subject to mandatory use of G2G Now and in-person checks by WA Police as required
– International travel in-directly into WA via another state or territory will be subject to the same entry and quarantine requirements as domestic travellers
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