After months of waiting, WA's border restrictions have finally eased, although a full reopening is still on hold indefinitely.
Premier Mark McGowan has said these adjustments balance safety and compassion and will help delay widespread community transmission of Omicron in WA until more people have had their booster.
While thousands are expected to flock to Western Australia from today, there will be plenty whose trips have been cancelled by the new rules.
So what are they? And when might they change?
Can I come to WA?
The first step is always to get a G2G pass approved.
For that, you'll have to fit into one of these categories:
- Returning West Australians with "strong recent connections"
- People with "direct legitimate family connections" with WA
- Anyone travelling on compassionate grounds, including for funerals, or to see someone in palliative care or who is terminally ill
- Families of approved travellers
- People needing "urgent and essential" medical treatment
- People with "specialist skills not available in WA", including health and emergency services
- People required to attend court matters, judicial officers and staff of courts, tribunals and commissions.
There's also a catch-all category for people in "extraordinary circumstances", who can have their entry approved by either the State Emergency Coordinator or the Chief Health Officer.
But, you won't be allowed in if you have COVID, any COVID symptoms, are a close contact or are waiting for a test result to come back.
What is a 'strong recent connection' or 'legitimate family connection'?
The government's resources describe a "legitimate family connection" as "a relationship akin to a direct relative, including an adopted family situation".
Travel on compassionate grounds is also limited to people visiting a "direct lineal relative".
A government spokesperson confirmed to the ABC that this generally means someone who's one step away, like a parent or sibling, as well as grandparents.
For other family members, you'll have to show some kind of strong link.
And if you were thinking of using your distant third cousin to get into WA, Police Minister Paul Papalia already ruled that out.
To show a "strong recent connection", you'll need to have had your "ordinary place of residence" in WA in the past two years, and be returning to live in Western Australia permanently.
And if you're hoping your specialist skills will be enough to get you in, you'll need to prove they are time-critical and not reasonably available in WA.
WA Police confirmed almost 25,000 G2G applications had been approved, as of 8am Friday, for arrivals on or after February 5.
It accounted for about 60 per cent of the total number of applications for travellers hoping to cross through WA's new hard border, with the remaining applications rejected or still pending.
What are the rules if I'm travelling from interstate?
The main requirements are:
- Being double-dose vaccinated, or triple-dose if it's been at least three months since your second jab
- Proof of a negative rapid antigen test within 24 hours of your departure
- Quarantine in a "suitable place" (basically, somewhere where you can have your own bedroom) for 14 days
- Get a PCR test within 48 hours and on day 12.
Children aged under 12 won't have to show proof of vaccination or a negative RAT, but will have to comply with all other requirements.
Once you arrive, you'll be processed at the airport by WA Police who will check your G2G pass, but be warned that this could take some time.
A big change this time around is that everyone in the same home as you will also have to self-quarantine and get tested on day 12 with you.
You'll all have to use the G2G Now app to prove you're in quarantine, and police may come check on you.
What if I live in WA and go on holiday interstate?
That depends on if you'd be covered by any of the exemption categories.
If you've left WA to reconnect with family, or you've primarily lived in WA within the last two years, you should be fine.
"An expansion of compassionate guidelines ensures people who leave WA after February 5 for specific family or compassionate reasons and have a significant connection to WA and a legitimate right to return are offered a pathway for return to WA," the official advice states.
Can people come over for my wedding?
Maybe, depending on who they are.
If they're your direct family they should be given the all clear, but for friends, it's a bit of a different story.
If they have family connections here in WA, or they've primarily lived here in the past two years, they can apply to enter on those grounds.
Anyone else will be out of luck, unfortunately.
Can I drive across the border?
People can drive across the border at the Eucla/Eyre Highway checkpoint, with some conditions.
Trucks will still be allowed to enter through the Kununurra checkpoint, as well as people living in border communities, but not ordinary travellers.
What about if I'm coming in directly from overseas?
To start, you'll have to meet the Commonwealth's requirements, which include being double-dose vaccinated at least seven days before travelling and returning a negative COVID-19 test (unless you've recently had COVID).
You'll also have to fit within WA's international arrivals cap, which the government says will remain at 265 people each week.
The 14-day quarantine requirement remains, but with a slight tweak.
The first seven days will have to be in a government-run hotel quarantine facility, which will cost $180 a day for one person, or $1,260 for a week.
If you return negative PCR tests on days one and six though, you might be able to quarantine elsewhere.
Either way, you'll be tested again on days nine and 12.
If you self-quarantine in the second week, anyone you're staying with will also have to quarantine and be tested on day 12.
If you arrive in Australia in another state and then travel to WA though, you'll be treated as a domestic traveller and will be able to skip hotel quarantine.
Mr McGowan has admitted there are "some inconsistencies" under the rules, but said it would "serve the greater good" by reducing strain on the state's hotel quarantine system until a purpose-built facility is ready.
Can university students come in?
The rules for international students have changed a few times, so you'd be forgiven for being a bit confused.
On Tuesday, the government confirmed international students had to be in Australia by today to be allowed into WA.
They'll then be treated as domestic travellers and be subject to the same rules as anyone else.
Any students arriving past that point, at this stage, are out of luck.
When will this change?
When the Premier announced these changes, he said everything would be reviewed later this month.
There is evidence that shows the community's overall immunity from boosters will soon start to wane, but Mr McGowan said this week he is in no rush to change the rules.
"Obviously we'll set a date, [but] when it's appropriate to do so," he said on Thursday.
"I know some people want us to rush decisions. I've found rushing decisions on this to be unwise."
Won't the Premier just change his mind and close borders again?
When asked whether West Australians can trust any of his future announcements, Mr McGowan said the current situation justified the last-minute change.
"We've had to delay the date, and that's because we want to save West Australian lives," he said.
"We're not just going to deliberately open the border and have scores of people, potentially hundreds of people, die because I wasn't prepared to wait a little while."
The Premier has insisted that border rules wouldn't necessarily be made redundant if case numbers continue to rise in WA.
But as we've seen throughout the pandemic, there's no predicting what happens next.
