Western Australia Tightens Border Rules for the Other States

Article by: Hari Yellina (Orchard Tech)

Western Australia has tightened its travel rules for Queensland and Tasmania in a new border crackdown, just days before Christmas. People travelling from those states will be forced into quarantine after outbreaks in each state. WA Shadow Minister for Agriculture and Food Colin de Grussa told Sky News Australia the decision was inevitable. This government’s had five years nearly, in government to address the issues in the health system, and they have abjectly failed to do that. The state has had the harshest border rules since the Covid pandemic hit Australia in March last year, with strict caps on arrivals and hotel quarantine still in place for some.

Western Australia has been carefully watching the Omicron situation across the rest of the country, with cases spiking in the east and NSW today reporting its worst day in the history of the pandemic, with 3057 cases recorded in the past 24 hours. Western Australia and NSW have repeatedly butted heads throughout the pandemic with both states taking vastly different approaches to deal with the pandemic. Announcing a massive budget surplus last week, Mr McGowan reignited his bitter feud with the eastern state, declaring “the government in NSW failed” during the pandemic.

Mr McGowan said news of the reopening would be a “cause of relief or even celebration” for some but would concern great concern for others. After the 5th of February, cases will begin to appear in the community, that is inevitable but it will not be a cause for panic — it will be a reminder to do the right thing. It seems that the nation is in this together and they will get through this together. The community will keep doing the right thing.