WA relaxes harsh Covid border restrictions with NSW

Western Australia will ease its border restrictions with NSW this weekend with people able to enter the state for several specific reasons.

Travel to Western Australia has become a little easier, with a major change coming to the state’s Iron-clad border from Saturday.

WA Premier Mark McGowan announced on Wednesday that NSW would be downgraded from an “extreme risk” zone to a “high risk” zone thanks to continued low case numbers.

WA Premier Mark McGowan on Wednesday.

The downgrade means more exemptions will be granted for those travelling from NSW including government officials, military personnel, federal MPs. Anyone carrying out Commonwealth or specialist duties or who is approved by a State Emergency co-ordinator can also apply for an exemption.

West Australians who travelled to NSW recently, those that still have roots in WA and were blocked out by the border rules will also be allowed to return to their families.

But everyone travelling into Australia’s most western state will need to follow strict requirements, including proving they’re fully vaccinated, testing negative 72 hours before arriving in WA and quarantining for 14 days in a self-nominated location.

WESTERN NSW COVID VICTORY

An area of NSW which was hit by a significant outbreak has recorded a happy milestone.

The Western NSW Health District recorded its first day of zero new Covid cases since August 10 on Tuesday, almost three months after the virus first began to spread in the regional area.

Dubbo MP Dugald Saunders took to social media to celebrate the event as the daily Covid figures were released.

🙌 NO NEW CASES IN Western NSW Local Health District !! 🥳 Thanks to every one of you who has gone out and got...

Posted by Dugald Saunders MP on Monday, November 1, 2021

It comes as NSW recorded 190 new Covid cases today, with four more deaths.

About 309 people are in hospital with the virus, including 68 in ICU.

But 93.6 per cent of NSW residents have had their first dose of a Covid-19 vaccine, and 88.3 per cent are fully vaccinated.

Two women and two men aged in their 50s, 60s, 70s and 80s all died with Covid.

NSW COVID-19 update – Wednesday 3 November 2021

In the 24-hour reporting period to 8pm last night:

- 93.6% of people aged 16+ have had one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine
- 88.3% of people aged 16+ have had two doses of a COVID-19 vaccine
- 114,303 tests pic.twitter.com/WHPI441XpQ

— NSW Health (@NSWHealth) November 2, 2021

Elsewhere in regional NSW, daily case numbers are rising ahead of some previous Sydney hot spots.

Of the 190 locally acquired cases reported to 8pm last night, 36 are from South Western Sydney Local Health District (LHD), 35 are from Hunter New England LHD, 18 are from Western Sydney LHD, 15 are from Murrumbidgee LHD, 14 are from Nepean Blue Mountains LHD, 14 are from South Eastern Sydney LHD, 13 are from Western NSW LHD, 12 are from Sydney LHD, 10 are from Southern NSW LHD, eight are from Mid North Coast LHD, three are from Central Coast LHD, three are from Far West LHD, three are from Illawarra Shoalhaven LHD, three are from Northern Sydney LHD, one is from Northern NSW LHD and two cases are unassigned to an LHD.

Cases in the Hunter and Murrumbidgee areas are now at higher rates than the Western and South West Sydney areas on average, according to NSW Health data.

The Hunter Local Health District has overtaken both of the Sydney hot spots for the past nine days with the highest number of cases in the entire state, and today had just one case less than southwest Sydney.

The Murrumbidgee has also seen cases increase, trending above South West Sydney and Western Sydney five out of seven days in the past week.