Western Australia is easing its COVID-19 border restrictions further from next Tuesday, but it remains the only state or territory to maintain what it calls a "controlled border" with some ongoing requirements and restrictions.
So what does this mean for travellers arriving in WA?
Victoria and New South Wales are being reclassified as "very low risk" on December 8 — pending no further community outbreaks — meaning arrivals from there will no longer have to quarantine in a "suitable premises" for two weeks.
But WA's border with South Australia is still shut, except for those with exemptions.
I'm not from SA, so I won't need to quarantine after Tuesday. Right?
Correct, with one exception. If you arrived before Tuesday and are already in quarantine you'll still have to finish the full two weeks.
In other words, if you're from Victoria or New South Wales and you're in quarantine on December 8, you must stay there until your 14 days are up — regardless of the rule change for new arrivals.
Premier Mark McGowan was asked about this during his media conference yesterday. His reply made it clear that caution was key to the Government's COVID-19 response and there would be no early release.
"The measures we have in place are based on medical advice. They're based upon safety," Mr McGowan said.
"I have sympathy for some of the people who have had to endure some of the measures we put in place.
"But we've done it for all of the right reasons, we've tried to keep our state safe, we've tried to keep people healthy, we've tried to stop the virus coming in and the measures we have put in place have worked."
Can I go through SA to enter WA?
No, you can't.
South Australia is still classified as a "medium-risk" state. The border is closed to everyone except those who obtain an exemption.
That includes people from Victoria and New South Wales travelling through that state.
"If you come via South Australia you can only come in if you are exempted," Mr McGowan said.
"They are very limited categories."
The WA Government will review the situation in South Australia on December 11.
What can I expect when I arrive at Perth Airport?
The same conditions will apply for travellers from NSW and Victoria as apply to other "very low risk" states, which are currently the Australian Capital Territory, Queensland, the Northern Territory and Tasmania.
- Everyone arriving at Perth Airport has to undergo a health screening and temperature test.
- Travellers must be prepared to take a COVID-19 test at the airport coronavirus clinic, if a health clinician believes it is necessary.
- Travellers must complete a G2G Pass declaration, stating they do not have any COVID-19 symptoms and which jurisdictions they have been in over the previous 14 days.
- All travellers will receive an SMS health check reminder one week into their stay in WA.
- People driving over the border will undergo a health screening at the border and to have their G2G Pass declaration checked.
"It's not completely free movement," Mr McGowan said.
"If we need to overnight scale up the border we can do it over a number of hours."
Are these border changes a sure thing?
No. If there is community transmission in NSW or Victoria between now and Tuesday, the whole thing is likely to be called off.
Mr McGowan made it clear the Government was essentially treating Victoria and New South Wales as one state, because of their large cross-border shared communities.
If there is a community case in NSW between now and Friday — when it would otherwise reach 28 days with no community transmission — it is likely the previous restrictions, including mandatory quarantine, will remain for both NSW and Victoria.
Asked if there was a case in NSW whether WA would still open to Victoria, Mr McGowan replied: "I would doubt it, but we'll just wait and see."
"It depends where it is, who it is, how widespread it is," he added.
"We're not expecting another case in NSW."
I'm in SA. When can I enter WA?
There is still a hard border between WA and South Australia and there is no set date for this to end.
It was briefly reopened and then shut less than 48 hours later when news of the outbreak in SA spread.
The border was closed so quickly that some people who had gone to Adelaide for the weekend from WA landed back in Perth to find out they would now have to quarantine for two weeks.
What's the deal with flights. Will there be extra services?
Funny you should ask.
The price of flights jacked up in the hours after the Premier announced WA would reopen to Victoria and New South Wales.
Strong demand and limited seat availability pushed the price of some one-way flights from Sydney and Melbourne that week to between $700 and $2,000 one way.
It sparked concern among those in the business and tourism sectors, with the latter calling for government subsidies.
But airlines have said the pressure on ticket prices would ease as they put on additional flights in the coming days and weeks.
Virgin Australia said it would progressively increase services from Sydney and Melbourne to Perth from next week.
By early January, it will operate 16 flights a week between Perth and Melbourne, and 14 flights a week between Perth and Sydney, with fares starting from $239 one way.
Qantas and Jetstar will operate more than 65 additional return flights from Perth to Melbourne and Sydney each week from December 14.
Both airlines plan to add further flights from December 8.
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2020-12-01 21:45:00Z
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