Mark McGowan DELAYS 'Fortress WA' border reopening ruining summer for thousands - despite national plan to finally reunite Australia Mark McGowan has announced the plan to reopen WA's borders will be delayed State due to restart quarantine-free travel on February 5 at 90 per cent vax rate Surging cases of Omicron variant and pressure on hospitals blamed for delay By Olivia Day For Daily Mail Australia Published: 11:42 GMT, 20 January 2022 | Updated: 11:51 GMT, 20 January 2022 1 Viewcomments Mark McGowan has announced his border reopening plan which was due to finally open Western Australia to the rest of Australia and the world will be delayed. The premier made the announcement during a press conference on Thursday night, dashing the hopes of thousands of families due to be finally reunited. Mr McGowan said that from 12:01am on February 5 the hard border would remain in place, but with new settings introduced for compassionate visits. 'It would be reckless and irresponsible to open up now. I can't do it,' he said. Premier Mark McGowan has announced his border reopening plan which was due to finally open Western Australia to the rest of Australia and the world will be delayed Approved travellers will be permitted to enter the state to receive medical treatment, for compassionate reasons as well as those with genuine family links. These arrivals will be ordered to abide by strict testing and isolation criteria, Six weeks ago it was declared WA would restart quarantine-free international and domestic travel on February 5, when 90 per cent of the state is fully vaccinated. It was expected about 80,000 interstate and international arrivals would land in Perth Airport in the first two weeks of the state reopening. It comes as the state's Covid outbreak continues to grow, reporting five new local Covid cases in a sign the virus is spreading ahead of the border reopening. Four of the cases are close contacts, two of whom were in quarantine, with the others potentially infectious in the community. The source of the final infection is unknown. Several events in the lead up to February 5 have already been called off, including Perth Festival and the City to Surf. Businesses are telling staff to remain working from home, with the capital's CBD a relative ghost town. More to come. Share or comment on this article: All rights reserved for this news site (dailymail) and under his responsibility