Western Australia will reopen its borders to NSW and Victoria from 8 December
Western Australia will reopen its borders to NSW and Victoria from 8 December, Premier Mark McGowan has confirmed.
Travellers from those states will no longer be required to quarantine for 14 days, having endured almost nine months of restrictions.
It means WA has removed border controls for all states and territories besides South Australia, which continues to grapple with a community outbreak.
Travellers from NSW and Victoria will still be required to undergo health screening and a temperature check at the airport, complete a G2G pass outlining recent travel and take a COVID-19 test if necessary.
“I’d like to acknowledge and thank everyone for their patience and understanding,” Premier Mark McGowan told reporters on Tuesday.
“It’s been a long wait.
“As a country, I’m so relieved we’ve gotten to this point. It’s a credit to all Australians that we are nearly at the point of eliminating the virus in the community.”
Victoria has already reached WA’s criteria of 28 days without community transmission to qualify for eased border rules, while NSW has now gone 24 days without a locally-acquired infection.
Travel from SA remains prohibited unless arrivals meet strict exemption criteria and isolate for 14 days.
People driving across the Nullarbor from the east coast will also be treated as arriving from SA.
Mr McGowan said the border controls with SA would not change until at least 11 December and would be reviewed next week.
The premier said he was hopeful of soon reuniting with his NSW-based parents.
“The last nine months have not been easy,” he said.
“I know the border arrangements have put pressure on families and have been hard to comprehend at times.
“As premier of the state, I never thought I would bring in state border controls. It definitely has been an extraordinary year.”
Mr McGowan also announced places of worship will be exempt from the two square metre rule and able to operate at 60 per cent capacity, effective immediately.
WA recorded three new COVID cases overnight, all returned overseas travellers in hotel quarantine.
People in Australia must stay at least 1.5 metres away from others. Check your jurisdiction’s restrictions on gathering limits.
If you are experiencing cold or flu symptoms, stay home and arrange a test by calling your doctor or contact the Coronavirus Health Information Hotline on 1800 020 080.
News and information is available in 63 languages at sbs.com.au/coronavirus
Please check the relevant guidelines for your state or territory: NSW, Victoria, Queensland, Western Australia, South Australia, Northern Territory, ACT, Tasmania
