Western Australian Premier Mark McGowan has announced plans to ease tough restrictions on people seeking to enter the state from Victoria and New South Wales, but warned he will not “unnecessarily rush” to bring down the hard border.
Key points:
- Victorian travellers were previously required to quarantine in a hotel
- From Monday October 5 they will be allowed to self-isolate
- Restrictions on New South Wales travellers will also be eased
From Monday October 5 people travelling to WA from Victoria will no longer be required to quarantine in a hotel at their own expense.
Instead they will be allowed to complete 14 days of self-isolation at a “suitable premise” like a house.
Mr McGowan also said rules for travellers from New South Wales would be brought into line with those that apply to travel from all other states.
“This includes a COVID test on day 11 of their quarantine,” Mr McGowan said.
Mr McGowan said the changes reflected updated health advice in light of reduced coronavirus cases in both Victoria and New South Wales.
“We recognised these measures were extremely tough and made life difficult for many people,” he said.
“The results show these measures were highly successful in reducing the numbers of potential cases into Western Australia and protecting West Australians.
“We have now gone 171 days without community transmission in Western Australia.”
Victorian travellers will no longer be required to quarantine in a hotel.(ABC News: James Carmody.)
‘No need to rush’, Premier says
However the Premier said the hard border would remain in place until the WA Government was confident community spread of coronavirus was under control in other states.
“There is no need to unnecessarily rush and make decisions that put our state at risk,” Mr McGowan said.
Western Australia’s border has been shut to interstate travellers since April 5.
Under the arrangement anyone seeking to enter the state has had to apply for a travel exemption.
Billionaire businessman Clive Palmer argues the border closure is unconstitutional and launched a legal challenge in May, which is due to be heard in the High Court in November.
WA’s border has been closed to travellers from other states since April.(ABC Goldfields-Esperance: Jarrod Lucas)
New app to reduce police burden
The WA Government said self-quarantine compliance checks by police would also be assisted by a new, locally-developed “G2G Now” app.
Commissioner Dawson says the app will reduce the need for physical police checks.
WA Police Commissioner Chris Dawson said the app would conduct “virtual check-ups” on people in quarantine by using mobile location data and facial recognition technology to pinpoint their whereabouts in real time.
The use of the app would be voluntary, but Commissioner Dawson said it would help reduce the need for physical door checks by police.
He said WA Police had already conducted 50,000 checks.
“As more people take up this G2G Now app, more police resources will of course be freed up to concentrate on other matters.
The new G2G Now app will allow for virtual police checks.(ABC News: Hugh Sando)
“It will also contribute to reducing those costs of quarantine management and enforcement.”
Hope for family reunions by Christmas
The slight easing of restrictions has provided a glimmer of hope to West Australians living in Victoria who want to return home for Christmas.
Communications professional Dylan Penniket, 26, moved to Melbourne from Perth eight years ago.
He said he was still hoping to visit his WA family in December.
Dylan Penniket says he hopes to visit his family in WA in December.(Supplied)
“That’s the plan at this stage,” he said.
“Obviously things are still up in the air and we don’t know too much about the inner machinations of the West Australian Government.
“But with even the slight lifting of restrictions for the home quarantine stuff going through today, it kind of gives a positive outlook.”
Border arrangements ‘highly effective’: CHO
Mr McGowan said the easing of restrictions was based on updated health advice from the WA Chief Health Officer Andy Robertson.
Premier Mark McGowan acknowledged the border measures had ‘made life difficult many people’.(ABC News: Hugh Sando)
The advice is contained in a letter to the Premier dated September 25, and released by the Government.
“The current WA border arrangements have been highly effective in reducing the numbers of potential cases who have travelled from NSW, Victoria and Queensland, and in ensuring that there is no further introduction of COVID-19 disease into WA,” Dr Robertson said in the letter.
“There has, however, been significant industry, health and social impacts, as fly-in fly-out travel, compassionate and family travel, and relocations have been adversely impacted.”
Dr Robertson said while “the current situation in Victoria is improving”, it was anticipated “that it may still take a further two months to get this fully under control.”
“The current Victorian mass gathering and public health measures are still unlikely to prevent exportation, particularly to neighbouring states,” he said.
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