Premier warns of ‘toughest month’ ahead of border reopening

WA Premier Mark McGowan warns the ‘toughest month’ of the pandemic is still to come as the state prepares to reopen its border.

WA Premier Mark McGowan warned the state was likely heading into its most difficult month of the pandemic ahead of borders reopening Thursday.

On Wednesday, WA reported 1766 new local cases of Covid-19 and four linked to out-of-state arrivals.

That follows 1179 new cases the day before and takes the total number of active cases to 6979 – over half of the total 12,198 cases recorded since the start of the pandemic.

From Thursday, all vaccinated travellers will be able to enter WA without the need to quarantine.

Premier Mark McGowan said WA was headed into its ‘toughest’ month of the pandemic. Picture: Matt Jelonek/Getty Images

Around 5000 people are expected to arrive in WA on the first day of the new rules.

“Tomorrow we take a big step forward as our border controls come down. Families can reunite without unduly risking the health of the state. It’s going to be good to see,” Mr McGowan said.

As it prepared to reopen to the rest of Australia, WA battled its largest outbreak of the pandemic.

Mr McGowan asked West Australians to take heart in the fact the state had avoided the worst of the pandemic over the past two years, as it headed into likely the “toughest month”.

From Thursday, all vaccinated travellers will be able to enter WA without the need to quarantine. Picture: Paul Kane/Getty Images

Hospitalisations were expected to climb “rapidly” in coming weeks, with currently only 16 people in hospital and none requiring intensive care.

“The experience in the eastern states is that hospital admissions lag about two-three weeks behind case numbers,” he said.

Mr Mcgowan said WA had the highest third dose vaccination rate in Australia, with 64.6 per cent of residents 16 and over receiving a booster.

Level 2 public health measures will come into effect in WA from Thursday, with two person per square metre rules and 150 patron limit for venues.

Mask requirements will also be extended to children in Years 3-6 for all public indoor settings including classrooms.

New restrictions will come into place in WA, largely aimed at limiting density in venues. Picture: Matt Jelonek/Getty Images

Mr McGowan apologised for the impact on individuals and businesses and said government money would be spent to provide assistance.

A $72 million dollar business support package was announced to coincide with the changing restrictions, offering grants to businesses impacted by the outbreak.

Small and medium businesses which see a 50 per cent reduction in trade over any four week period since 1 January, compared to the same period last year, can apply for tiered grants.

They range from $3000 for sole traders to $50,000 for companies with over 20 employees and an annual payroll of up to $4 million.

“This support will help the micro, small and medium sized businesses that need it most get through what will likely be the toughest month of the pandemic,” Mr McGowan said.

“It won’t cover everything, but together with existing support like grants, rent relief and waved government fees, it will help make a difference during this difficult period.”

Originally published as Premier warns of ‘toughest month’ ahead of border reopening