WA’s hard border reveals just how fragile interstate travel is during COVID

A new year, but a similar story.

Anyone who thought the end of 2020 would mean a farewell to the uncertainty and occasional chaos around Western Australia’s border has had a rude awakening.

As the events of the past few days have shown, WA’s border situation is still extremely precarious and can change in an instant.

No-one knows that better than the 16,000 people in WA abruptly forced into isolation in a New Year’s nightmare that left many shellshocked, devastated or scrambling to travel back to Melbourne as soon as they could.

And that fickleness around the interstate border is here for a long time yet, potentially until the pandemic is brought under control around the world — something that still could be years away.