Western Australia reopens international borders to 8000 vaccinated arrivals

Western Australia is reopening to travellers after 700 days in isolation. Photo / Nick Dunn, Unsplash

After more than 700 days of border restrictions, travel into Western Australia will once again be quarantine-free.

Perth has been far slower to lower its pandemic defences than other Australian states, which are largely already open to interstate and international travel. Although the Australian State pulled the brakes on planned border openings last month, the date is finally here.

Following the easing of restrictions for vaccinated travellers at midnight tonight, Perth International expects to see 8000 arrivals over the next two days.

New Zealand gets its first, quarantine-free direct flight from Auckland on Friday, touching down shortly before 5pm AWST.

According to ABC International travellers will make up roughly a quarter of arrivals from Thursday, with flights scheduled from Singapore, Dubai and KL.

Even domestic travellers have had to quarantine for seven days on arrival, with overseas arrivals all-but shut out.

Western Australia had to backpedal on plans to open to travellers on 5 February, following the appearance of Omicron in Australia.

WA premier Mark McGowan pushed out the date by a month, giving extra time for Western Australians to get boosted.

With the extra 26 days the state has managed to double the amount of people protected by a third dose.

"We saved a great many lives and a great many people from getting sick," McGowan told ABC.

Around 50,000 Australians still entered WA under quarantine conditions.

Besotted with quokkas: WA Tourism is handing out stuffed toys and $500k in vouchers at international arrivals. Photo / Mark Stoop, Unsplash

Quokkas and voucher handouts greet arrivals

To celebrate the restart, Tourism WA will be handing out AU$500,000 in vouchers at the international terminal. Passengers arriving in Perth could find themselves handed between $150 and $2200 to spend on experiences in WA.

200 stuffed, toy quokkas will also be given out to the first flights from Sydney and Melbourne. The unique marsupials only found on Rottnest Island are the mascot for the state.

Tourism Minister Roger Cook told Perth Now that the vouchers will be as welcome for WA operators as those coming through the gates.

"The vouchers, through Tourism WA, will also support and promote various tourism operators in Perth and the surrounding regions to thousands of incoming visitors."

Western Australia's new entry requirements

As of tomorrow, 3 March, vaccinated travellers can enter Western Australia.

Visitors will have to be vaccinated and, as per the Commonwealth guidelines, fill in a Digital Travel Declaration within 72 hours before travel and have proof of a negative pre-departure Covid-19 test.

Those arriving on a flight directly from New Zealand or transferring, will have to have a G2G Pass (Good to Go Pass) registered under their name.

You are also required to complete a Rapid Antigen Test within 12 hours of arrival in the state and report any positive result.

For the next two weeks all arrivals will be provided with one Rapid Antigen Test to help meet these interim testing requirements.

Direct flights from New Zealand are only weekly at the moment, but Air NZ intends to increase its schedule to three times a week by April.

Currently you only need two registered doses to arrive by air as an international traveller.

This gets a little more complicated for those hoping to cross state borders into WA, who must be 'triple dose vaccinated' and still take a RAT within 12 hours of entering the state.