13/12/2021
There is the light at the end of this tunnel!!! 👀 🚨
Looking forward to welcoming our much missed visitors soon ❤️
Today I can announce that at 12:01am Saturday, 5 February, Western Australia will ease its hard border restrictions for vaccinated travellers.
This will be a major step forward for our State in how we manage the COVID-19 pandemic.
But, with the inevitable arrival of COVID-19 into the community, there are a few things that will change as a result.
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- Travel -
While controlled borders will ease for international and interstate arrivals, allowing for quarantine free travel, there will still be testing and vaccination requirements on travellers.
All interstate arrivals aged 12 and over must be double dose vaccinated, unless exempt, with PCR testing requirements dependent on length of travel.
International travel will still be governed by Commonwealth border and biosecurity controls, determining the rules for Australians and foreign citizens arriving from overseas.
All international arrivals will be subject to PCR testing pre-departure and on arrival. Only unvaccinated travellers will be required to quarantine for 14 days at an approved facility.
These are reasonable and proportional steps to ensure the opportunities for COVID to enter the community are limited as much as humanly possible.
- Public Health Measures -
Proof of vaccination will be required for entry at:
- nightclubs
- the Crown complex
- the four major stadiums (Optus Stadium, RAC Arena, HBF Arena, HBF Park)
- events with 1,000 or more patrons
Other businesses may also choose to have proof of vaccination requirements as a condition of entry to protect their staff and patrons, if they wish.
Mask wearing will only be required for:
- public transport, taxis and rideshare services
- at airports and on flights
- visitors to hospitals, residential aged care, residential disability care, and custodial corrections facilities
Entry will still be restricted to remote Aboriginal communities where necessary.
WA’s unique position of zero-COVID and a high vaccination rate means border controls can ease with minimal community restrictions, compared to other jurisdictions.
- Regions -
Unfortunately, as flagged, some areas of regional WA have dramatically lower rates of vaccination than the rest of the state and cannot live safely without higher levels of restrictions
At present the Pilbara, the Goldfields and the Kimberley are the only regions with first dose rates below 80 per cent.
If a region cannot reach a double dose rate of 80 per cent by February 5, they will be subject to more restrictions including, expanded proof of vaccination requirements for venues and air travel into the region, and mask wearing required at venues not covered by the vaccination requirements.
We do not want to impose these restrictions if we do not have to. So we are imploring anyone not yet vaccinated to do so right away.
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Saturday, 5 February is a day that some Western Australians have been looking forward to for some time, while for others, it’s a day that makes them worry.
But my message to all Western Australians is simple.
Since day one of this pandemic - we have been careful and we have been cautious.
We have followed the health advice, and we have been successful.
The health advice is that with a vaccination rate of 90 per cent, that we expect to reach by 5 February, and sensible public health measures, it is safe to ease our border controls.
Western Australians can have confidence that it is the time is right to ease our border controls.
That our health system is ready, that we have the equipment, the hospital capacity, the contact tracing, the workforce and the vaccination rate required to handle the arrival of COVID-19 in the community.
We also know that we can count on Western Australians to do the right thing - following the public health measures, getting vaccinated, checking-in at venues, staying home when unwell, and getting tested when required.
Come Saturday, 5 February, we will be in the best possible position to reconnect with the world, on our terms, and start the next phase of pandemic management for Western Australia.