New specific powers under the Emergency Management Act will be granted for security who work at State hotel quarantine facilities to give them enhanced legal protection to prevent a person from breaching a quarantine direction given under the Act.
Further training of security personnel will be conducted, to ensure as authorised officers they comply with the directions of the State Emergency Coordinator.
The authorised power is administered through Section 61 of the Emergency Management Act, for the sole purpose of enforcing hotel quarantine.
An improved risk matrix is being implemented to enhance decision-making when moving people to WA’s dedicated high-risk hotel quarantine – which has WA Police on guard.
The matrix will guide WA Police and WA Health to jointly assess risk and determine if a traveller should be placed in, or move to, the high-risk hotel quarantine facility.
The review also recommended the enhancement of physical barriers where possible, to limit the ability for quarantine travellers to exit the hotel without assistance.
While measures such as locked down floors and lifts are already used throughout State hotel quarantine, the addition of secured entry and egress points controlled by security will add further barriers to a traveller unlawfully leaving quarantine.
The review was conducted by the State Emergency Coordinator and State Health Incident Coordination Centre, with these new measures now being implemented as a priority.
For more information visit Specific powers to bolster State hotel quarantine facilities media release.
