The premier will establish an independent review of WA's pandemic management.
An independent review of the state government's COVID-19 pandemic management has been announced ahead of the official end to the state of emergency powers, which were introduced on March 15 2020.
Premier Mark McGowan said the emergency declaration would not be renewed and came to a close at midnight on Friday.
Reflecting on 963 days of the pandemic response, Mr McGowan said Western Australia had a unique experience compared with most cities in the world.
"I am very grateful we avoided the mass deaths and devastation seen in other countries around the world," he said.
"We never treated WA lives as disposable or something that could be sacrificed for economic outcomes."
Mr McGowan said a review would consider whether the measures taken were appropriate, and if lessons can be learned for any other occasion that a pandemic threatened.
"It's not over and COVID is still circulating, but because of our higher vaccination rates, and the severity of the virus has diminished, it's not as severe in any way, shape or form as it used to be," he said.
"We'll look at what worked, what didn't work and what the lessons are for the future."
The premier was confident his government got most settings right, including the hard border rules.
"I'll believe this for the rest of my life; the border arrangements worked," Mr McGowan said. "They kept it out. Being extremely cautious worked.
"Generally speaking, I wouldn't have done anything differently."
During the pandemic, WA delivered 2.6 million doses of vaccine, conducted 5.6 million PCR tests and housed 68,000 people in hotel quarantine.
Health Minister Amber-Jade Sanderson said some health settings would remain after the state of emergency finished.
"Staff and visitors will be required to stay away from public hopsitals after testing positive until 24 hours after their acute symptoms have passed," she said.
"Mask wearing requirements will be managed by hospitals under their local policiies for infection control.
"Surgical masks will stilll be required for staff who have direct interaction with patients."
High-risk settings, including hospitals will still require proof of vaccination.
The state opposition said bringing the state of emergency to an end was overdue
"It should have ended some time ago," deputy opposition leader Shane Love said. "We haven't seen mandatory isolation for some time now for people with COVID and at that point you have to say there is no state of emergency."
Mr McGowan said legislation to manage a resurgence of COVID, which was passed by parliament this year, would only be enacted if deemed essential by the WA Police commissioner.
"These laws are ready for use should they be required," he said. "They are fit for purpose as to how we manage the next phase of the COVID-19 pandemic.
"They do not allow for the closure of state borders or require an application to enter WA from any other state or territory."
