The WA border was due to reopen on February 5 but was indefinitely delayed due to large numbers of Omicron cases in other parts of Australia.

"I think the WA government has done a good job, a very good job in fact, of seeing through the worst of COVID," Henry told journalists this morning.

"Earlier on, when vaccination rates were lower, when the impact of COVID was higher, our operations didn't see that impact in WA because of some of the measures that were taken."

Despite current absenteeism in the company's New South Wales and Queensland coal operations of up to 20%, Henry was confident the company would manage COVID disruptions in WA.

Clearly, governments are needing to make tough judgments about these policies," he said.

"I think everybody, including the WA government would recognise that at some point, things have to return to normal - it's just a question as to when that happens.

"We believe, as do many others, that now's the time for borders to begin opening back up again."

BHP has already had two cases of COVID in its WA iron ore operations this month.

Henry said the company had the ability to navigate the near-term disruption.

"But I would also point to the prevailing view that in a world where vaccination rates have risen, that the impacts of Omicron are going to be less than you would have seen at earlier stages of COVID," he said.

"So the broad recognition that things have to return to normal at some point, higher vaccination rates, lower impacts of Omicron - it feels to us like that now's the time for borders to be opening back up again."

BHP joins peers including Fortescue Metals Group, Evolution Mining and Pilbara Minerals in wanting clarity around the reopening of the border.

Mineral Resources boss Chris Ellison last week described WA premier Mark McGowan's decision to keep the border closed beyond February as a "great call".

"I think it was a great call because we were probably going to have in the order of I think 20,000-plus people a week coming into the borders, so they're going to bring COVID straight in and everyone was saying, well what happens to all the small business? Well they keep operating the way they are now, if you let the COVID come in and we just let it rip, as they'd say out east, I think it would have shut a lot of businesses and people would be doing what they're doing out east, they'd self-isolate," he said.

"I'm very comfortable following the lead that Mark McGowan's following because if we just let the people trickle in and try and keep the curve down, we've got a chance that we might be able to get through this without getting brutalised."