While people are now able to travel freely in Australia’s more populated east, Covid-19-free Western Australia will maintain its tight restrictions into next year, state leaders have said.

Western Australia Premier Mark McGowan set a vaccination target of 90 per cent of the population aged 12 and older for the border restrictions to be relaxed. The milestone was forecast to be reached in late January or early February, AP reported.

McGowan said he would set a date for the state to reopen once 80pc of the target population had been vaccinated, which is expected to happen in mid-December.