SA slams border to WA shut, arrivals forced into 14 days quarantine

SA has overnight shut its borders to WA without public warning. The closure applies unless you are classed as an essential traveller, local resident, or someone relocating to SA.

South Australia has slammed its borders shut to Western Australia without public warning.

SA Police put out an announcement in the early hours of this morning, that anyone that arrived in SA from WA who is not classed as an essential traveller, local resident, relocating to SA or fleeing domestic violence would not be allowed in from 10.15pm last night.

People permitted to enter SA from WA need to undergo 14 days in quarantine.

Anyone who was in WA from 12.01am Australia Day – January 26 – also needs to quarantine.

South Australia State ­Co-ordinator Grant Stevens has ­issued the directions after a Perth hotel quarantine security guard contracted COVID-19 and then visited a large number of places in the community, not knowing he had it.

Anyone in SA who visited the Sheraton Four Points Hotel in Perth from 12.01am on January 21 needs to notify SA Health they are in the state immediately, quarantine, and get a COVID test on days 1, 5, and 12. Returning SA travellers will also need to self-quarantine for 14 days and have COVID test on days 1, 5 and 12.

SA Police Commissioner Grant Stevens. Picture: Mike Burton

Police Commissioner Grant Stevens this morning said that SA has taken a hard and fast approach to the evolving COVID situation.

“As of quarter past 10 last night we introduced a hard border with WA which prevents people travelling from WA into South Australia unless they meet certain exemption conditions,” Mr Stevens told ABC Radio Adelaide.

He said the state is capturing anyone who entered SA until the point of concern in WA.

“Our decisions are based on what their level of concern is, so that’s why the Australia Day date has been identified.

“These are the steps that we believe are necessary, to make sure that we can keep a level of freedom that we have in South Australia at this point.”

He said the UK strain the Perth hotel worker may have been infected with spreads quicker than other strains of the virus.

‘We don’t have enough information from Western Australia at this point that enables us to make a more refined approach, so we’ve gone hard, and as quickly as we can.”

He said the directions were enforced as quickly as possible, and people should always be flexible with travel plans during the pandemic.

“This is the nature of what we’re dealing with. For over 12 months now we’ve been in a situation where we’ve been encouraging people to be adaptable and flexible with their travel arrangements because we just don’t know what’s around the corner with the pandemic and what decisions are in place. “

The infection has also prompted Victoria, Queensland and the Northern Territory to impose restrictions on arrivals from parts of WA.

It has also thrown a cloud over sports, including the women’s and men’s AFL competitions, and the National Basketball League.

The Adelaide Crows’ women’s team last night jetted out of Perth, the NBL postponed a game originally scheduled for Friday and a Big Bash final scheduled for Perth will now be played in Canberra.

Mr Stevens said anyone holidaying or travelling in Western Australia should consider returning to South Australia as soon as possible.

Police said the situation was “volatile and changing rapidly”.

“South Australia Police have a presence at the airport to ensure all people entering the state from interstate have submitted a cross-border travel application,” SAPOL said.

“This will ensure a record is maintained of those people entering the state, so if there is another outbreak, they can be contacted.”

Victoria has closed to people who had visited Perth, the Peel region and the South West region of Western Australia since January 25. Queensland and the Northern Territory declared Perth and surrounding regions a hot spot, requiring anyone arriving from there to quarantine.

Earlier, the Big Bash League confirmed Thursday’s finals series match would be moved to Manuka Oval in Canberra.

The match was originally scheduled to be played at Optus Stadium and hosted by the Perth Scorchers.

The Scorchers will instead remain in Canberra.

The National Basketball League postponed the Perth Wildcats v New Zealand Breakers game originally scheduled for Friday.

The AFL was also keeping a close eye on the situation in Perth, and could be forced into another rewrite of its women’s fixture or consider a hub for the two West Australian teams. The Crows and GWS women’s teams played their Round 1 matches in Perth at the weekend. Last night, Adelaide and GWS returned to SA from Perth together on a chartered flight, 40 minutes before the state went into lockdown.

This morning, Adelaide and Greater Western Sydney were forced into 14 days’ self-quarantine in Adelaide as the AFLW season hangs in the balance.

According to the current AFLW fixture, West Coast and Fremantle were due to play their Round 2 games against Adelaide and Greater Western Sydney respectively at Norwood Oval this weekend.

There could also be ramifications for the AFL pre-season if West Coast and Fremantle men’s teams were also prevented from training.

An AFL spokesperson said: “The health and safety of everyone in the game and in the wider community remains the priority and the AFL will continue to be led by government and health officials.”

In the men’s Community Series, the Crows were scheduled to play Fremantle at Fremantle Oval on March 6, and Port were due to take on the West Coast Eagles in Perth the next day.

WA Premier Mark McGowan held an emergency press conference yesterday, saying the male guard who sparked the lockdown was in his 20s had been working at Sheraton Four Points in the Perth CBD, where there were four active cases. Those included two of the UK variant and one of the South African mutant strain.

Mr McGowan said it was suspected the man – a driver for a rideshare company – had the UK variant.

WA had gone almost 10 months without a case of community transmission.

WA Health Minister Roger Cook said the man, who shared a unit with three other people, was potentially infectious while out in the community. His housemates had returned negative COVID-19 tests.

The lockdown applied to the Perth, Peel and South West regions and would run until 6pm on Friday. Residents were allowed to leave home only to shop for essentials, to receive medical care, exercise for one hour per day or work – but only if it not possible to work from home.

Meantime, flights between Australia and New Zealand resumed yesterday after nearly a week, following a coronavirus outbreak scare.