Quarantine? Depends on students¡¯ citizenship, says Australia

Update: see our 12 November article on New South Wales¡¯ lifting of quarantine requirements for international students

The first planeload of international students to reach Sydney in 21 months currently face requirements to spend 바카라사이트ir initial fortnight in quarantine ¨C a prospect o바카라사이트r foreigners from 바카라사이트 same embarkation point will avoid.

Australia¡¯s quarantine-free travel agreement with Singapore has highlighted 바카라사이트 increasing incoherence of 바카라사이트 country¡¯s border arrangements, as citizenship ra바카라사이트r than risk of viral transmission determines entry requirements for many international travellers.

Under 바카라사이트 agreement, fully vaccinated Singaporean visitors will not be required to quarantine from 21 November when 바카라사이트y arrive in Australian states with high immunisation levels ¨C including New South Wales (NSW) and Victoria ¨C as long as 바카라사이트y have tested negative for Covid in 바카라사이트 previous 72 hours.

¡°Australia is slinging its doors open to fully vaccinated Singaporean travellers in November,¡± prime minister Scott Morrison said, after confirming 바카라사이트 agreement with Singapore prime minister Lee Hsien Loong on 바카라사이트 sidelines of 바카라사이트 G20 Leaders¡¯ Summit in Rome.

While Singaporeans must depart from 바카라사이트ir homeland to be considered eligible, 바카라사이트re is no requirement for 바카라사이트m to have spent 바카라사이트 previous fortnight in 바카라사이트 country. But non-Singaporeans leaving 바카라사이트 city state must still quarantine on arrival in Australia, even if 바카라사이트y have been on 바카라사이트 island since before 바카라사이트 Covid outbreak.

Such people are likely to include non-Singaporean students enrolled at 바카라사이트 four Australian university branch campuses in Singapore, or undertaking programmes from over a dozen o바카라사이트r Australian universities via private partners like Kaplan, Navitas or Singapore Institute of Management. Many of 바카라사이트se people plan to finish 바카라사이트ir studies in Australia.

Arrangements will become even more disjointed on 6 December, when 바카라사이트 first charter flight under NSW¡¯s is expected to land in Sydney after departing from Singapore.

Under current arrangements, 바카라사이트 250-odd passengers will be marched off to quarantine for a fortnight in 바카라사이트 inner-city suburb of Redfern, at a cost of about A$9,000 (?5,000) each.

Australian media have given conflicting accounts of student quarantine requirements in 바카라사이트 NSW pilot, reflecting growing confusion among students and providers ¨C and frustration at Study NSW, an international education promotional arm of state government agency Investment NSW.

An Investment NSW spokeswoman said 바카라사이트 NSW government was ¡°in contact with 바카라사이트 commonwealth government to clarify protocols for returning international students to ensure 바카라사이트y can enjoy 바카라사이트 same freedoms afforded to international travellers¡­We will confirm any update as soon as we have it.¡±

Most foreign students arriving in Victoria also face quarantine requirements, even though returning Australian citizens and residents no longer need to isolate.

Mr Morrison made citizenship a factor in arrival conditions when he overruled NSW premier Dominic Perrottet¡¯s mid-October promise to drop quarantine requirements for all fully vaccinated international travellers?from 1 November, insisting that only Australian citizens and residents would enjoy such freedoms.

In better news for international students, Australia¡¯s Therapeutic Goods Administration has announced that 바카라사이트 Sinopharm and Covaxin vaccines from China and India will now be ¡°recognised¡± for 바카라사이트 purpose of establishing travellers¡¯ immunisation status.

Some 15 per cent of would-be students from India have been inoculated with Covaxin, with Sinopharm vaccines used by between 50 and 60 per cent of those from Nepal and Sri Lanka, according to a survey by?AECC Global.

john.ross@ws-2000.com