Based on the latest health advice, Western Australia’s Safe Transition Plan has been updated with new hard border settings from Saturday, February 5 to respond to serious concerns around the impacts of the Omicron variant.
The updated plan means the full border opening will be delayed given the full impacts of Omicron in Australia are still unknown, with the peak of infections not yet reached in jurisdictions with widespread transmission.
The new hard border settings will allow for more safe compassionate travel and the return of Western Australians.
Under the new border settings, approved travellers are permitted to enter WA, or leave WA and return, with testing and quarantine requirements under the new expanded exemption criteria:
- Returning Western Australians, with strong recent connections or direct legitimate family connections with WA;
- Compassionate grounds including funeral, palliative care or terminally ill visitation;
- Member of the family of an approved traveller;
- People entering for urgent and essential medical treatment;
- Reasons of national and State security;
- Commonwealth and State officials, Members of Parliament, Diplomats;
- Provision of specialist skills not available in WA, health services, emergency service workers;
- People required to attend court matters, judicial officers and staff of court, tribunals and commissions; and
- Special considerations and extraordinary circumstances determined by the State Emergency Coordinator or Chief Health Officer.
Approved interstate travellers into WA will be permitted with the following requirements:
- Traveller must have an approved G2G Pass, under new exemption criteria;
- Be triple dose vaccinated if eligible (double dose vaccinated if not eligible for third);
- Return a negative pre-departure Rapid Antigen Test (24 hours prior to departure);
- Undertake 14 days of self-quarantine at a suitable premises, with the same requirements for household members at the self-quarantine premises;
- PCR testing within 48 hours of arrival and on day 12 of self-quarantine, and household members will also be required to do a PCR test on the traveller’s day 12.
- Subject to mandatory use of G2G Now and in-person checks by WA Police as required.
Additional requirements are in place for domestic road travel:
- Approved domestic travellers to limit travel to 1,500 kilometres from road borders, to enable people to travel by road to suitable premises for quarantine in Perth from Eucla;
- Entry at the Kununurra border only for transport, freight and logistics and border community residents;
- Restricted travel into remote Aboriginal communities.
International travel into WA will be permitted with the following requirements:
- Meet the Commonwealth requirements to enter Australia under the arrivals cap;
- Undertake 14 days of mandatory quarantine including, seven days in hotel quarantine and seven days of self-quarantine at a suitable premise, if eligible;
- PCR testing on days one, six, nine and 12, and household members will also be required to do a PCR test on the traveller’s day 12
- Subject to mandatory use of G2G Now and in-person checks by WA Police as required;
- International travel indirectly into WA via another State or Territory will be subject to the same entry and quarantine requirements as domestic travellers.
Current entry arrangements remain unchanged for transport, freight and logistics, maritime, aircraft crew, rig/platform and specific industries approved by the State Emergency Coordinator and Chief Health Officer.
Further review of border controls will be considered over the course of the next month.
Current health and social measures remain in place, including masks to be worn as required, proof of vaccination for certain venues and businesses and contact registration including check ins using the SafeWA or ServiceWA apps.