Western Australia has further softened its COVID-19 border restrictions, allowing New Zealanders to enter without undergoing quarantine from later this month.
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Premier Mark McGowan has confirmed that from 12.01am on April 19, New Zealand will become part of WA's controlled-border regime.
It will be classified as a "very low risk" jurisdiction, meaning travellers will not be required to quarantine upon arrival.
They will need to complete a G2G travel pass and undergo health screenings at the airport.
WA's involvement in the travel bubble with New Zealand had been under some doubt given its hardline border stance over the past 12 months.
"This is an encouraging step forward for Western Australia and the nation," Mr McGowan told reporters on Friday.
"It shows the flexibility and versatility of WA's controlled-border regime to keep Western Australia strong."
WA will also transition Queensland - the only state or territory currently affected by restrictions - to the very low risk category from the same date.
People currently in self-quarantine will be allowed back into the community.
In another key change, WA will now require other jurisdictions to only go 14 days with no community cases before any border restrictions are lifted.
Previously they had to go 28 days with no community cases.
Capacity limits are also being scrapped at fixed-seating venues including stadiums, arenas, concert halls, theatres and cinemas.
It will allow Optus Stadium to accommodate up to 60,000 fans.
Hospitality venues including restaurants, cafes and bars will remain at 75 per cent capacity due to the higher risk of face-to-face interaction.
Also on Friday, the government said it had fully accepted the recommendations of a report into the adequacy of WA's hotel quarantine system.
Former WA chief health officer Tarun Weeramanthri was tasked with reviewing the system after a security guard at the Sheraton Four Points hotel contracted COVID-19 then unwittingly roamed the streets while infectious.
Metropolitan Perth and nearby regions went into a five-day lockdown on January 31 but no other infections were detected.
The incident led to changes including barring some workers from holding second jobs and requiring frontline staff to get daily saliva tests.
Professor Weeramanthri's other recommendations included improved ventilation within rooms and stronger governance of the hotel quarantine program.
WA Chief Health Officer Andy Robertson said that from Friday, people under 50 who were booked in to receive the AstraZenaca vaccine would have their appointments cancelled.
It comes after the federal government's expert advisers recommended the Pfizer vaccine be "preferred" over the AstraZeneca one in people aged under 50, who face a very rare risk of developing blood clots.
People who are under 50 and have already received their first AstraZeneca vaccine should "not be alarmed" and proceed to their second jab.
"You should not cancel your second vaccination booking," Dr Robertson said.
Australian Associated Press
