The West Australian government has defended its cautious reopening of borders as it unveils another "brick in the wall" to protect residents against coronavirus.
Health Minister Roger Cook addressed the media on Saturday saying there was "a lot of tension" in relation to WA's borders, which are now moving from a "hard" status to "controlled".
Premier Mark McGowan on Friday said it was the right time to move to the next phase of the state's border reopening strategy after a fall in COVID-19 cases across the country.
Under the new regime starting from November 14, anyone will be let in so long as they complete a G2G application and adhere to health requirements.
People who have been in NSW and Victoria in the preceeding 14 days will need to enter self-quarantine at a suitable premises.
They will also be required to undertake COVID tests on day 11 of their quarantine period and upon arrival if deemed necessary.
Mr Cook said on Saturday this was a cautious response and that the government would not hesitate to move back to its hard border policy if the public health advice changed.
WA recorded one new coronavirus case on Saturday, that of a child traveller from overseas in hotel quarantine.
The state is managing 44 active cases.
Mr Cook said the Emergency WA website typically used by government to warn residents in specific areas of natural disasters such as bushfires or floods, will be used to give localised information about coronavirus outbreaks.
"Obviously we hope we won't have to use it but this is another measure the WA government is putting in place," he said.
"It's another brick in the wall that we are building to keep West Australians safe."
The website is now live at emergency.wa.gov.au
Australian Associated Press
