WA’s full border opening from Thursday 3 March 2022.

Today Mark McGowan has announced that the WA Hard Border will be coming down – as WA’s border will open on the 3rd of March.

Based on the latest health advice, effective 12:01am Thursday the 3rd of March, Western Australia will resume a full border opening.

Travel into Western Australia

Interstate travel into WA will be permitted with the following requirements:

• Have a registered G2G Pass
• Be triple dose vaccinated, if eligible
• Undertake a rapid antigen test on arrival (within 12 hours and report any positive result).

International travellers into WA will be permitted with the following requirements:

• Meet Commonwealth Government requirements to enter Australia
• Be fully vaccinated under the Commonwealth requirements, if eligible
• Have a registered G2G Pass
• Undertake a rapid antigen test on arrival (within 12 hours and report any positive result)
• Unvaccinated returning Australians will be required to complete hotel quarantine

WA COVID-19 Restrictions

Based on the latest health advice, new public health and social measures will be introduced for regions throughout the State from 6am Monday, February 21 to help manage the surge of Omicron cases and keep Western Australians safe.

With community transmission growing in Perth, Peel, South-West, Wheatbelt, Great Southern and Pilbara regions, the following Level 1 public health and social measures will be introduced from 6am Monday February 21.

In addition to the existing indoor mask requirements, proof of vaccination, contact registration and restrictions to remote Aboriginal communities, Level 1 measures also include:

• Home gatherings limited to a total of 30 people
• Private outdoor gatherings (not at a private residence) limited to atotal of 200 people
• Two square metre rule introduced for hospitality, fitness venues, entertainment venues, cultural venues, places of worship, hairdressers and beauty services;
• 75 per cent capacity for seated entertainment venues (forward facing), such as theatres and cinemas
• 75 per cent capacity for major stadia such as Optus Stadium, RAC Arena, HBF Stadium (main area) and HBF Park
• Two square metre rule for Perth Crown Complex and seated service only on the casino gaming floor;
• 500-person capacity limit at nightclubs, in addition to the two square metre rule
• Visitation at residential aged care and disability care facilities, and hospitals limited to four visitors per patient/resident per day, exemptions for compassionate reasons
• COVID Event Checklists required for events with more than 500 patrons and less than 1,000 patrons and COVID Event Plans required for large events with 1,000 patrons and above
• COVID Safety Plans to be expanded to early childhood education and childcare services, hairdressers and barbers, and encouraged for all workplaces
• Workplaces should implement COVID-19 safe settings to manage workforce impacts

The mask rules for all indoor public settings will also be expanded State-wide and applied to the Kimberley, Gascoyne, Mid-West and Goldfields-Esperance regions from 6am Monday February 21.

Further public health and social measures (Level 2) may be introduced in the future to help reduce increasing transmission of COVID-19 and hospitalisations, if necessary.

Level 2 may include measures such as mask-wearing expanded to those in Year 3 and above, working from home advised for vulnerable people, Rapid Antigen Testing for visitors at residential aged care and disability facilities, home gatherings reduced to a total of 10 people, and the four square metre rule indoors and two square metre outdoors for hospitality, fitness venues, indoor entertainment venues, cultural venues, places of worship, hairdressers and beauty services.

Bottle Shops proof of vaccination no longer required

With WA achieving more than 95 per cent double dose vaccination and based on the latest health advice, bottle shops will be removed from proof of vaccination requirements immediately, ahead of a review of other proof of vaccination and contact registration measures.

Watch: WA Premier Mark McGowan and Health Minister Amber-Jade Sanderson are providing a COVID-19 update

Based on the current vaccination pace it is expected WA would achieve a 70 per cent third dose vaccination rate (16+), including 90 per cent for people aged 70 and over, by March 3.

For further government updates visit wa.gov.au.

Stay up to date with the latest Perth COVID updates and Perth news on SoPerth.com.au.