McGowan’s ‘low jab’ justification for shutting border indefinitely

WA Premier Mark McGowan has used a dirty tactic to justify shutting his state’s borders indefinitely amid backlash.

West Australian Premier Mark McGowan has delivered a cold justification for shutting his state’s borders indefinitely, referencing high death rates elsewhere as evidence of his success.

“In some countries around the world, lots of people dying in different circumstances is not an unusual event; in Australia it is, because we value life very highly here,” Mr McGowan said.

“I think we should take this very seriously. Trying to play down the number of deaths … is not something that I’m prepared to do.”

Mr McGowan also emphasised higher rates of travel and spending taking place in WA, compared with other parts of the country, and its all-important export-driven mining economy.

Mark McGowan said valuing life ‘very highly’ in Australia was justification for keeping his state’s borders closed. Picture: Matt Jelonek/Getty Images

WA recorded seven new local cases of Covid-19 on Friday, with two in that count believed to be fly-in fly-out workers who were detected at Rio Tinto’s Perth Airport screening facility prior to their departure to the Pilbara on Thursday.

“WA Department of Health guidelines were followed, and both cases are now in isolation,” a spokesman for the mining giant said.

“The risk to other visitors to the screening facility is deemed low due to the controls in place at the facility, including vaccination requirements, mask wearing and physical distancing.

“Detection of these cases prior to departure for the Pilbara reinforces the importance and effectiveness of our three-layered screening process at Perth Airport, which includes rapid antigen testing.

“This shows the systems and controls we have in place are working.”

Two Covid-positive FIFO workers were picked up at Rio Tinto's Perth Airport screening. Picture: Rebecca Le May

On Thursday, the Premier said he would delay a planned border reopening indefinitely amid ongoing Omicron outbreaks in the eastern states.

“When I made the announcement in December, I said …(the border) would open on 5 February, unless there was an emergency or a catastrophe,” he said.

“Now what’s going on in the eastern states is both an emergency and a catastrophe.”

According to Mr McGowan, there will be compassionate grounds for returning Western Australians to enter the state.

“There’s pathways back if you have family here – you just have to be prepared to quarantine for two weeks and be tested,” he said.

Mr McGowan said the state’s reopening would depend on case rates in the east of the country, as well as the number of West Australians who had received a third vaccine dose.

Throughout the pandemic, WA has had some of the world’s strictest entry conditions. Picture: Tony McDonough / NCA NewsWire

Mr McGowan said reports that some people had been locked out of the state for two years were untrue.

“Over the course of the last two years … at various points in time all of the borders across Australia were open and people had the opportunity to come to WA.”

Of the seven new cases reported on Friday, four were not linked to any known cases and are under investigation by contact tracers.

Three of the cases are known contacts of previously reported cases and were potentially infectious in the community.

Genome sequencing of a “mystery” case reported on Wednesday suggests the presence of multiple clusters within the community, Mr McGowan says.

A large number of people still not eligible for a booster vaccination is another reason for the extended closure. Picture: Sharon Smith / NCA NewsWire

Friday’s cases take the state’s total number of active infections to 82, with zero Covid-related hospitalisations.

Of the four unlinked cases, three are from a single household, with authorities working to establish potential exposure sites.

“There is potentially a missing link out there,” Mr McGowan said.

“Please come forward and get tested if you feel unwell.”

Mr McGowan described the state’s 4222 tests conducted on Thursday as “not high enough”.

The Premier also announced that all public Australia Day events, both indoors and outdoors, would require mask-wearing to help minimise the risk of further infections.

So far, 89 per cent of people in WA have received a second dose of vaccine.