09/04/2021
👏🏻👌🏻🙌🏻 We’re in the bubble! 🙌🏻👌🏻👏🏻
Winter in New Zealand ... 🇳🇿 ✈️ 🎿 🏔 ... here we come!
Today, based on the latest expert health advice, I can outline some important changes to our controlled border.
This includes details on travel to WA from New Zealand, the timing for Queensland to return to ‘very low risk’, and new advice regarding the timing of classification changes moving forward.
- Travel from New Zealand to WA -
Following the national arrangements to allow for travel to and from New Zealand earlier this week, I can confirm that from 12:01am, Monday the 19th of April, we will treat New Zealand as another jurisdiction under Western Australia’s controlled border regime.
At that point, it is expected that New Zealand will be classified as a ‘very low risk’ jurisdiction, pending health advice and any further outbreaks.
Under that classification, travellers from New Zealand will be able to undertake quarantine free travel to Western Australia, however arrivals will still require a G2G Pass, and to undergo the usual health screenings at the airport if required.
This is an encouraging step forward for Western Australia and the nation, taken with the same care and caution that has gotten us to the enviable position we find ourselves in today.
- Timing of controlled border classification changes -
Earlier this year the Chief Health Officer requested the Public Health Emergency Operations Centre review the requirement for 28 days of no community infections before a state or territory could move from the ‘low risk’ category to the ‘very low risk’ category.
The Chief Health Officer received this review last month and has considered its findings.
The review took into consideration analysis of outbreaks and periods of community transmission, as well as the successful use of border controls and requirement for people having to complete 14 days of self-quarantine from the day they leave a higher-risk location.
So far the evidence shows that in Australia the greatest number of consecutive days of zero locally acquired cases prior to the detection of the final case was six days.
The Chief Health Officer has recommended some refinements following the controlled border classification review.
Given where we are now a year into the pandemic and the situation in Australia has changed, and therefore, the Chief Health Officer has recommended a new benchmark.
Under his new advice, the requirements under the controlled border to move a ‘low risk’ jurisdiction to a ‘very low risk’ jurisdiction will change from at least 28 days to at least 14 days of no community cases of COVID-19.
- Travel from Queensland to WA -
Following the new benchmark advised by the Chief Health Officer, the requirement of at least 14 days before transitioning to ‘very low risk’ will now apply to Queensland.
Subject to no further community cases, Queensland will transition to ‘very low risk’ from 12.01am on Monday, 19 April 2021.
That will also mean that if people are currently in self-quarantine under the Queensland border direction, they will be able to end their self-quarantine period as of 12.01am on Monday, 19 April.
Under this change, arrivals from Queensland will still require a G2G Pass, and to undergo the usual health screenings at the airport if required.
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The situation in many other places around the world is very different and very dangerous.
International travellers are the biggest carriers of this virus and therefore remain the biggest risk of a virus outbreak.
It is for this reason we must remain cautious with our international border arrangements and how crucial hotel quarantine arrangements are to keeping WA safe.
The flexibility and versatility of WA’s controlled border regime, has worked well to keep Western Australia safe and strong.
It allows us to take these new steps forward without risking what we have achieved together.
However, I repeat, it’s essential that we keep up the good habits.
Getting tested, adhering to the restrictions, checking in on the SafeWA app, staying home when sick and of course, getting vaccinated when it’s your turn.
We’ve come so far, learnt so much, and achieved incredible things. These next steps are incredibly exciting, but we must stay vigilant and continue to look after one another.
