There are once again questions over Western Australia's open border arrangements after New South Wales recorded its first locally acquired COVID-19 infection since a hotel quarantine worker tested positive earlier this month.
NSW Health has confirmed a 45-year-old man who drives international aircrews to and from Sydney Airport has tested positive for coronavirus.
Another two people in Sydney's northern beaches have now tested positive.
WA Premier Mark McGowan said the government was monitoring the situation to determine if there was any community spread.
"Currently, no changes to our controlled border have been recommended by the Chief Health Officer," he said in a statement on Wednesday evening.
"Our Chief Health Officer is liaising with NSW Health to establish the details of the cases over there, the number of contacts and the level of testing being undertaken.
"We will receive regular updates from the Chief Health Officer and will provide clarity about our border controls with NSW as soon as we can."
Earlier in the day, Mr McGowan said the border would be reinstated if the health advice suggested to do so.
It comes as four new cases of coronavirus have been confirmed in hotel quarantine in WA, with two men and two women who travelled to Perth from overseas testing positive.
Families 'need certainty': Opposition
Opposition Leader Zak Kirkup said the border uncertainty was a "huge concern" just nine days away from Christmas, especially for people who wanted to reunite with their families interstate.
Mr Kirkup said he hoped the advice from the CHO would arrive quickly "to understand exactly what's happening to provide certainty to the families of Western Australia who are hoping to reunite with their loved ones over east".
The reopening of WA's border to NSW and Victoria was put into doubt when the hotel quarantine worker case emerged on December 3.
At the time, the WA Government took several days to consider how that case would impact its border rules, acknowledging at the time the situation was "very disruptive" and "very problematic" for those planning to enter the state.
WA ended up opening the border anyway after the case did not cause a community outbreak.
Another nervous wait for travellers
Engineers Luke Falconer and Sam McCleery work at the same construction company in Sydney and are both originally from WA.
Mr McCleery has not seen his parents, who live in Bunbury, and his brother and sister in Perth for close to a year.
He was due to fly to Perth just after Christmas but has been left worried about what will happen now.
"I'm kind of holding my breath a little bit," he said.
"I'm trying my hardest not to think about it too much because it's very much out of my control."
Mr Falconer, who has not seen his family in Perth since last Christmas and has booked a flight back on Friday, had a similar approach.
"There's not a lot you can do," he said.
"The previous [case] with the hotel worker, I was worried.
"Now I'm only a couple of days away and I'm sort of hoping it will all go well. [I'm] a bit over being nervous and want to get over there."
