WA closes border as SA remains open to NSW and Victoria despite growing Covid cases

The Premier says he is disappointed but not surprised that WA has closed its border to SA in the wake of the growing Norwood cluster.

WA has closed its border to South Australia in the wake of the escalating Norwood cluster, however SA’s borders to NSW and Victoria will remain open.

Premier Steven Marshall on Friday morning said he was disappointed but not surprised about WA Premier Mark McGowan’s decision.

“I think that was inevitable to be quite honest,” he told ABC Radio Adelaide.

“They’ve had a different approach over in Western Australia to the national cabinet.

”So it’s obviously disappointing for people that are wanting to go into Western Australia, that’s now not going to proceed.”

Mr McGowan raised SA’s travel risk to medium, meaning travellers are banned from WA unless they have an exemption.

“Obviously, what’s occurred there is quite concerning,” Mr McGowan said.

“What we’ve done differently to South Australia is we’ve waited to higher levels of vaccination before such time as we lifted our border arrangements and that’s a safety measure to keep people safe to ensure we avoid further lockdowns and social measures, and get the West Australian community through Christmas and through the New Year period.”

Cases are expected to increase as a cluster linked to an event at Norwood’s Theatre Bugs venue grows.

Covid health chief Nicola Spurrier and medical officials canvassed closing Australia’s borders to NSW and Victoria following a growing cluster linked to an event at Norwood.

However, The Advertiser understands Mr Marshall and Police Commissioner Grant Stevens ultimately decided to keep the borders open.

Passengers wearing masks at the Adelaide Airport. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Kelly Barnes

South Australia has recorded 18 new Covid-19 cases and this is expected to increase as cluster linked to an event at Norwood’s Theatre Bugs venue grows.

The Norwood cluster rocketed from two cases on Wednesday with another 16 confirmed on Thursday for a total of 18. In addition to these 16 new cases, who were all fully vaccinated, two unrelated interstate arrivals yesterday tested positive.

Mr Marshall is holding his nerve about opening the borders, saying the case numbers so far were at the “lower end” of the modelling.

“The reality is you can’t keep Delta out indefinitely,” he said. “The cases were inevitable, and now we are responding.”

Mr Stevens said “as far as Delta is concerned we are on the path we anticipated we would be on”, but he noted the emergence of the Omicron variant was still a work in progress.

The state has had 31 cases since the borders opened – 27 active – but none are in hospital.

The latest cases are eight men between the ages of 30 and 60 years old and 10 women in their 50s.

More than 210 close contacts from the Norwood cluster are now in quarantine and that number also is expected to grow. The source of the infection has not been identified but is believed to be someone from interstate who may have returned interstate.