WA enforces hard border with Victoria

Premier Mark McGowan has announced that WA will enforce a hard border with Victoria as the state plunges into a seven-day lockdown after its COVID-19 cluster grew to 26 cases.

The state will move from 'very low risk' to medium risk from 10am today under the state's controlled border regime after the WA government received updated health advice this morning.

Travel from Victoria will no longer be permitted and those that have arrived in WA from Victoria since May 16 will be requird to get a COVID-19 test and quarantine until they return a negative result.

Mr McGowan confirmed that seven people in WA had been to one of the 79 exposure sites in Melbourne and regional Victoria, all of whom are now in quarantine and are being tested for the virus.

At least one of the seven people has returned a negative test result.

He said that while the measure was ‘severe’, it was the best way to protect the state.

"This is concerning, and it's a fast-moving situation," he said.

"It's essential that we take action to protect Western Australians.

“We thought the best measure was to protect ourselves the best way we could - and that’s a hard border with Victoria.

“The move to medium risk was based on a number of things, including the fact that the virus has managed to spread to regional Victoria.

“The reality is that it only takes one case and we’re back in a lockdown, and I don’t want to do that again."

This morning, Victoria's acting Premier James Merlino announced that the state would enter a seven-day lockdown from midnight tonight after the cluster reported in Melbourne's northern suburbs grew by 12 cases overnight.

The list of exposure sites now includes the MCG.