Perth lockdown: quarantine-free travel on hold

On Saturday, 1000 passengers who arrived in New Zealand on direct flights from Perth on April 19, 21 and 23 were being contacted and provided with advice. File photo.

Quarantine-free travel between Western Australia and New Zealand remains paused after Perth and the outer-metropolitan area of Peel were placed in a three-day Covid-19 lockdown.

The region went into lockdown at 12:01am on Saturday, April 24 (Western Australia time).

New Zealanders in Australia are asked to follow local guidance and check for places of interest outside of Western Australia, says a spokesperson for the Ministry of Health.

"Passengers flying to New Zealand from other Australian states will be required to complete pre-departure and arrival declarations advising whether they have been in Perth or Peel since April 17, and whether they have visited any of the current locations of interest.

"On Saturday, 1000 passengers who arrived in New Zealand on direct flights from Perth on April 19, 21 and 23 were being contacted and provided with advice.

"Of those, two people from the same household have let health authorities know they were in the Perth domestic terminal at the time specified in the locations of interest page."

The Ministry of Health says they are being treated as casual contacts and have both had their tests done on Sunday, with results due this week.

"The risk to the public has been assessed again to be very low. They remain in isolation until their test results come back," says the Ministry.

"New Zealand health officials remain in contact with their Australian counterparts and are closely monitoring the situation.

"The current risk to New Zealand has been assessed as low. Updates will be provided if there are any changes to the current risk assessment or advice."

Information for anyone who is in New Zealand and has been in Perth or Peel since April 17 is on the locations of interest page on the Ministry of Health website, and on the Western Australia Department of Health site. 

Locations visited by confirmed COVID-19 cases (healthywa.wa.gov.au)

If you have been to a location of interest you should stay at home, or in your accommodation, get a test, and contact Healthline 0800 358 5453.

"All people who have been in Perth or Peel since April 17 should watch for symptoms and if symptoms develop they should stay home and get a test," says the Ministry.

"As per our framework travel to the rest of Australia will continue. If you're booked to travel between New Zealand and Western Australia in the next few days, check what you need to do with your airline."

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