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Coronavirus crisis: Exemptions revoked, compulsory testing for Victorians entering WA

Joshua ZimmermanThe West Australian
VideoVictoria has recorded 270 new coronavirus cases today the second biggest daily increase in the state since the pandemic began.

From tomorrow, anyone flying into Perth Airport from Victoria will be forced to undergo an immediate coronavirus test before they are permitted to collect their luggage under a new policy unveiled by Health Minister Roger Cook today.

Mr Cook said the new day one testing policy had been in place since Monday but because it had taken some time to prepare testing facilities at Perth Airport, people arriving from Victoria yesterday and today were directed to attend a COVID clinic before entering isolation.

All Victorians arriving will also still be required to undertake a second test on day 11 of their isolation, as previously announced.

Everyone arriving from Victoria will be tested at least twice, the same as we do for international arrivals.

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The WA Government has also alerted more than 29,000 people who currently either hold a travel exemption or have submitted an application that they will need to restart the process if they have been in Victoria in the past 14 days.

Mr Cook said moves last week to “refine” the list of exemptions granted for travellers coming from Victoria — including slashing the “specialist skills not available in WA” category — had had “an instant effect”.

“So we are obviously taking a very tough stance in relation to people travelling from Victoria and we make no apologies for that,” Mr Cook said.

“We've seen a significant drop in the number of people travelling from Victoria.”

The Health Minister said WA was “doubling down on limiting any potential spread for the virus from Victoria.

“From tomorrow we will have staff and resources in place at the airport to take swabs from people too before they collect their luggage,” he said.

“That means everyone arriving from Victoria will be tested at least twice, the same as we do for international arrivals.”

Shadow Health Minister Zak Kirkup said the day one testing regime should be extended to also include people travelling from NSW — where there are early signs of community transmission of COVID-19 — as well as essential workers like truck drivers and flight attendants currently not required to self-isolate.

“There is not a full testing regime in place for every single person that crosses the border,” Mr Kirkup said.

“That is something all West Australians would expect to be happening already and it is not.

“It is greatly concerning that there are people who come into our State and, depending on their exemption, often do not have to self-isolate and are free to mix with unsuspecting West Australians.”

One new case of coronavirus was diagnosed in WA overnight, a 10-year-old boy currently in hotel quarantine.

He is the 11th person to test positive for the disease from on flight from the UK to Perth via Dubai on July 1. There are currently 21 active coronavirus cases in WA.

Mr Cook was at Hollywood Hospital to officially open a new 31-bed mental health ward. The new ward boost the number of inpatient mental health beds at the private facility to 101.

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