Police are seen on patrol at a COVID-19 drive through clinic in Inglewood where members of the public have been waited over two hours in line on Feb. 1, 2021 in Perth, Australia. Matt Jelonek/Getty Images
Several states have closed their borders to West Australians (WA) following a single locally acquired CCP virus case in Perth.
After a hotel quarantine worker tested positive for COVID-19, the disease caused by the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus, commonly known as the novel coronavirus, the WA state government issued a five-day lockdown for the Perth metropolitan area and the Peel and South-West regions.
In response, most states and territories have closed borders for those travelling from the affected areas, but South Australia (SA) has gone further.
South Australian Premier Steven Marshall with an Australia day mask made by Detmold Group in Adelaide, Australia on Nov. 30, 2020. Kelly Barnes/Getty Images
SA has chosen to prohibit all WA travellers from entering the state unless they meet exemption requirements with the order effective immediately last Sunday. Those who have already entered SA since Jan. 26 must undergo a 14-day self-quarantine and be tested.
Despite issuing the strict border measures, SA Premier Steven Marshall took to Facebook to express support for WA. “We have confidence that WA will get on top of this situation and that these restrictions won’t be in place for too long,” he said.
Victoria, which has reached its 26th consecutive day of no locally acquired cases, has restricted entry for those travelling from the affected areas but exemptions apply. Victoria’s COVID-19 Testing Commander Jeroen Weimar said the 1,700 people who travelled from WA to Victoria have been told to get tested by authorities via text message.
“If we start to see people are not coming forward to get tested, then we will be phoning them, we will be reminding them, if we need to go knock on their doors we will do just that,” said Weimar.
NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian at a press conference in Homebush in Sydney, Australia on Aug. 17, 2020. Brook Mitchell/Getty Images
NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian has stuck to her open border policy telling reporters on Monday that NSW Health is prepared and will allow all travellers from WA.
“It is a manageable situation at this stage and there is no reason why we will be altering our border situation,” she said. “However, [NSW] Health has already put in place special measures in terms of notifying people if they have come across from WA in the last while, as well as screening those people who are coming in from WA.”
NSW Health’s new public health order subjects WA travellers to the same “stay-at-home” restrictions they would have back home. These interstate travellers are also required to inform authorities if they had attended any of the venues listed by the WA government.
The WA lockdown is expected to end on Friday, Feb. 5. as authorities continue testing and contact tracing.
