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Western Australian Premier Mark McGowan has announced his state will establish a quarantine-free travel bubble with Queensland from 12.01am Friday 22 October, as the Sunshine State goes 19 days without community transmission today.
After transitioning from the ‘low risk’ status to ’very low risk’, Queenslanders will no longer have to self-quarantine for two-weeks when entering WA.
Under the ‘low risk’ settings, safe travel is permitted into the state subject to the following conditions:
- completion of a G2G Pass declaration before travel, stipulating the traveller does not have any COVID-19 symptoms and which jurisdictions they have visited in the previous 14 days;
- all Perth Airport arrivals to undergo a health screening;
- travellers to be prepared to take a COVID-19 test, if deemed necessary by a health clinician (voluntary asymptomatic testing also available); and
- land arrivals to be met at the border checkpoint for a health screening and to have their G2G Pass declaration checked.
"The Chief Health Officer will closely monitor the COVID-19 situation in Queensland and should border controls need to be strengthened quickly, we will not hesitate,” Premier McGowan said.
"WA's border controls with ACT, NSW and Victoria remain in place.”
"My Government's priority continues to be to get as many people vaccinated as possible to reach high levels of vaccinations that will help keep the WA community safe."
Over the last two months, Queensland travellers have been allowed to enter WA without approval, but self-quarantine had been mandatory.
"We have not had to endure long lockdowns, hundreds of deaths, tens of thousands of positive cases, business shutdowns and closed schools like NSW and Victoria in their most recent devastating outbreak,” WA Health Minister Roger Cook said.
"It is pleasing we can now ease border controls again with Queensland.
"Now we need Western Australians to continue to get vaccinated as soon as possible. Don't hesitate before it's too late."
Updated at 4.00pm AEDT on 19 October 2021.
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