Christmas plans around Australia are up in the air after a Sydney hotel quarantine worker tested positive for COVID-19.
WA was set to open its borders to NSW and Victoria on December 8, provided there was no outbreak before then, but the emergence of a community transmission case in Sydney has the state on edge.
Premier Mark McGowan announced this week that many Australian families who had been separated for eight months under WA’s strict border closures would be reunited by Christmas, but warned he would not hesitate to reinstate the hard border if required.
On Thursday, he said the government was awaiting advice from chief health officer Andy Robertson, who was seeking further information from NSW.
Mr. McGowan said he expected to make an announcement over the weekend.
“I realize this is very disruptive to many people and very problematic to many people because they don’t know what’s happening,” he told reporters.
“But at the same time, we have to make decisions that are based upon health advice.
“The NSW government is confident they have it under control, but we want to see and make sure that the evidence supports that before we make a final decision.”
Mr McGowan said the situation was obviously concerning and worrying.
“If the (WA) chief health officer recommends that we delay opening to NSW, well then that is the decision we will make,” he said.
“We don’t have enough information at this point in time to make that decision, but we expect to get more information over the coming days.
“I think it shows that our cautious approach has been right.”
Asked whether it would affect Victoria too, Mr. McGowan said the situation would be monitored.
“We’ll just see how big it is, how many people are involved (and) whether they have it under control before we make a final decision,” he said.
WA moved from a hard border to a controlled interstate border last month but was forced to close to South Australia one day later after an outbreak.
All other travelers can visit WA without quarantining but must complete a G2G Pass and be screened on arrival.
NSW was on track to hit the 28-day milestone this Friday, but the emergence of the case on Thursday morning could put the state back to square one.
Authorities are investigating how a woman, who works at two hotels in Sydney, one of which houses returning international travelers, acquired the case.
NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard said five family members the woman lived with had tested negative for COVID-19. They will still complete 14 days’ isolation.
Health authorities are racing to alert close contacts, including fellow public transport commuters and co-workers at the Ibis and Novotel hotels.
Meanwhile, Queensland’s borders will remain open to New South Wales.
The new case comes two days after Queensland opened its borders to Sydney, after being closed since August.
Speaking in parliament on Thursday morning, Queensland Health Minister Yvette D’Ath said there were no “proposed changes” to the border restrictions.
Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said Queensland’s health officials were working closely with Sydney authorities in the wake of the new case.
When Ms. Palaszczuk made the announcement last week that the border would open, she confirmed the state was moving to a “hot spot” system, and that there would have to be a “massive outbreak” to slam the border shut again.
“There are so many variables here, each particular case has got to be looked at on its merits and (we have to) work out what the risk is to Queensland,” she said last week.
