Western Australia’s hard border will come down on 3 March, as the premier, Mark McGowan, acknowledges that sealing off the state has become “ineffective” in the face of a surging local outbreak.
McGowan announced the new border reopening date on Friday, allowing quarantine-free travel for those who have received three vaccine doses.
The announcement comes four weeks after McGowan backflipped on his initial promise to ease entry requirements from 5 February due to the spread of Omicron in other jurisdictions and WA’s low booster rate.
The state’s reopening will happen nearly 700 days after WA first sealed itself off from other states in April 2020, with its international border remaining tightly controlled since the federal government initially shut Australia’s borders in March 2020.
WA had been the last Australian state to succeed in avoiding significant community transmission of Covid. However, local cases have surged in recent days, with a record 194 new local infections reported on Friday.
McGowan explained on Friday that the new date had been chosen as daily Covid numbers in eastern states had fallen from their peaks in January and WA’s third dose vaccination rates was increasing.
He also acknowledged the inevitable surge in cases from the current outbreak in his state.
“I firmly believe saving West Australian lives has been worth every effort over the past two years,” McGowan said.
“Eventually there comes a point where the border is ineffective when you get to high case numbers within the state,” he said.
“It is plain to see that four weeks of caution has paid dividends. It means it is now far safer to relax our hard border settings,” McGowan said.
From 12.01am on 3 March, travellers who have had three doses of Covid-19 vaccine will be able to enter WA, however they will still have to complete a G2G border pass prior to entry and take a rapid antigen test within 12 hours of arrival. Unvaccinated travellers from interstate will not be able to enter WA.
The reopening of the international border will be in line with the federal government’s previously announced plan that is already in place in all other jurisdictions – which requires two doses of Covid vaccine. In WA, unvaccinated returning Australians will have to undergo seven days of hotel quarantine, with a smaller cap of 70 people per week.
New mask rules, as well as density and gathering restrictions, will also be introduced ahead of the 3 March reopening, to protect the state’s health system from being overwhelmed by the spread of the Omicron variant.
Amber-Jade Sanderson, WA’s health minister, said health authorities were expecting a peak in local infections at the end of March.
Modelling predicts this will be 10,000 daily infections. After “peak immunity” is reached in March, the modelling predicted that four people will die each day as a result of ongoing transmission of Covid.
From 21 February, masks will be required for indoor settings across the state.
In Perth, Peel, South-West, Wheatbelt, Great Southern and the Pilbara, additional settings include a two person per square metre rule that will apply to gyms, hospitality and entertainment venues.
Home gatherings will also be limited to 30 people, and outdoor gatherings limited to 200 people in those regions.
On Friday, McGowan said “this date [3 March] is locked in and I can’t foresee a situation where it would change”.
Today we announced the new date for WA’s full border opening – and it’s worth talking through how we got here.
— Mark McGowan (@MarkMcGowanMP) February 18, 2022
Four weeks ago, on January 20, we took the difficult decision to delay Western Australia’s full border opening. pic.twitter.com/zEpV2tQRoR
“I know removing the hard border is a step that some in the community have been looking forward to for some time,” he tweeted. “I note there are also Western Australians who will be apprehensive, but I want them to know – WA is prepared.
“We have the supplies, we have the policy settings. We have one of the most vaccinated populations in the world,” he said.
McGowan said the notice period “of nearly two weeks gives the community and businesses time to prepare and make plans”, and urged residents not yet boosted to get their third vaccine dose.
