WA installs new border restrictions amid Victorian outbreak

Fears of a new coronavirus contagion are growing in Western Australia after new cases in NSW and the ACT were linked to Victoria's ongoing outbreak.

In the past week, 50 interstate flights have touched down in Perth, 17 of them from Melbourne.

The Australian Medical Association said the risk of a second wave in Western Australia was "inevitable" if potential spreaders came to the state during the open Phase Four restrictions.

Big numbers are also crossing the land border under exemptions.

In the first two months of lockdown, almost 21,000 were allowed into the state via road and air, with just 68 people knocked back on arrival.

However, overnight, access to Western Australia became more difficult.

People with specialist skills not available in Western Australia now require written approval from the police commissioner to gain an exemption.

The state government said that group was one of the biggest cohorts wanting access to the west.