Western Australia slams border shut to Victoria following coronavirus outbreak

Seven people in one state visited Covid-19 exposure sites in Victoria, as health officials nervously wait for their test results.

Seven people in Western Australia visited Covid-19 exposure sites in Victoria, Premier Mark McGowan has revealed as he announced a hard border with the eastern state.

Mr McGowan said the seven people were now in quarantine, with one returning a negative test result and the others still waiting for their outcome.

“This is a concerning and fast-developing situation, however the controls we have already put in place have mitigated the risk,” he told reporters on Thursday.

“It is essential we take action to protect the health of West Australians.”

Western Australia is slamming its border shut to Victoria after the state recorded 26 cases of coronavirus, including 12 in the past 24 hours, with the list of 79 exposure sites continuing to climb.

From 10am on Thursday, Victoria would be deemed a “medium risk” state under Western Australia’s controlled interstate border regime.

Premier Mark McGowan has slammed the West Australian border shut to Victoria. NCA NewsWire/Tony McDonough

“Travel from Victoria or travel to Western Australia for anyone who has been in Victoria since May 16 will no longer be permitted unless you are an exempt traveller,” Mr McGowan said.

Exempt travellers include certain military personnel and government officials, authorised officers, Commonwealth politicians and people responsible for transporting freight.

Compassionate reasons will also be considered on a case-by-case basis by police, and those people will be required to complete 14 days of self-quarantine, including a Covid test upon arrival and on day 11.

Anyone who has arrived from Victoria between May 16 and 6pm on May 25, or was in Victoria from May 16 and has since arrived in Western Australia, must be tested within 48 hours and self-quarantine until they return a negative result.

People who have visited exposure sites in Victoria must also get tested immediately and self-quarantine for two weeks, with further testing on day two and day 11.

Following updated health advice related to the COVID-19 outbreak in Victoria, Victoria will now transition to a 'medium risk' jurisdiction under our controlled interstate border, effective from 10am today (27 May). This returns us to hard border arrangements with Victoria. pic.twitter.com/AJYoabLjXr

— Mark McGowan (@MarkMcGowanMP) May 27, 2021

Mr McGowan said the Essendon AFL team that arrived on Wednesday had all returned negative test results.

The Premier said he took no pleasure in reimposing the hard border.

“We understand the disruption it causes,” he said.

“Our thoughts are with the people of Victoria and we have every confidence Victoria will quickly get on top of this.”

Mr McGowan said he would do whatever was required to keep Western Australia safe, as he took yet another dig at the federal government.

“A lot of this could be helped if we had a faster rollout of the vaccine and if we had the Commonwealth conducting quarantine activity in purpose-built facilities,” he said.

Western Australia’s chief health officer will continue to monitor the situation in Victoria closely and determine if further action is needed.