Coronavirus travel ban is LIFTED as thousands of school students are allowed to go back to class on a ‘strict pathway’ after being stuck in China
- There are 760 final year students enrolled in Australian schools trapped in China
- The Australian government said they lift the travel ban for them on Saturday
- Students will be offered a ‘strict pathway’ to start their year 11 and year 12 studies
- The trapped students have already missed three weeks of the first school term
The coronavirus travel ban for senior high school students from China has been lifted as thousands of pupils return to class.
There are 400 Year 12 students and 360 Year 11 students enrolled in Australian schools who are trapped in China due to travel restrictions.
Health Minister Greg Hunt announced that some of the 760 students would be allowed to return to school in Australia on a ‘case-by-case basis’ on Saturday.
‘In particular, that should include consideration of year 11 and 12 secondary school students from mainland China, excluding Hubei,’ Mr Hunt told reporters in Melbourne.
‘Coronavirus has been contained in Australia with no new cases in the general population in the last week.’
Hubei province has been excluded as it is where the outbreak city of Wuhan is located, meaning there is a higher risk of coronavirus.
Health Minister Greg Hunt announced that some of the 760 students trapped in China would be allowed to return to school in Australia on a ‘case-by-case basis’ on Saturday
The trapped students have already missed three weeks of school as the the first school term of the year began in late January and early February across the country.
Once in Australia, they will have to follow ‘the same strict isolation conditions that apply to Australian citizens and permanent residents who return from China’.
This means that they will have to spend another two weeks at home in isolation at home, further delaying their return to school.
In total, some students could miss five or six weeks of school – half of the first term.
All states and territories have strict school attendance requirements, which mean students may not be able to complete their secondary qualifications if they miss too many days of education.
In a statement, the Australian government stated it recognises ‘the importance of the final two years of school’, which is why the ban was lifted on senior students.
‘All Australian governments understand the importance of education and we are all working to minimise the impact of COVID-19 on students,’ the statement read.
A family wearing face masks to protect themselves from coronavirus arrive in Brisbane Airport. There are 400 Year 12 students and 360 Year 11 students enrolled in Australian schools who are trapped in China due to travel restrictions
While students have been granted an exception, the Australian government has also extended its ban on foreign travellers from China for another week on Saturday.
The ban is due to end on February 29 but is under ongoing consideration from the national security committee of cabinet.
Two universities are offering cash incentives to Chinese students to encourage them to keep up their studies despite not being allowed into Australia.
The University of Adelaide is offering a care package worth about $5,000 to about 3,000 Chinese students.
The package includes a 20 per cent discount on semester one tuition fees and up to $2,000 towards airfares which they can access only once the travel ban is lifted.
It also offered online study help including videos of lectures, peer networking support and library resources so Chinese students who cannot be on campus by the March 26 start date, so can keep up with their courses remotely.
The trapped students have already missed three weeks of school as the the first school term of the year began in late January and early February across the country
By contrast, Western Sydney University encouraged its students to dodge the travel ban by paying Chinese students up to $1500 to subside the cost of airfares and accommodation to reach Australia ‘through a third country’.
About 100,000 Chinese students are enrolled in Australia’s universities providing a large source of profits each year for the $36 billion education-selling industry.
On Saturday, two more Australians were diagnosed with the coronavirus after being evacuated to Darwin from the Diamond Princess cruise ship.
There have been 19 confirmed cases of coronavirus in Australia.
Internationally, there have been 75,751 coronavirus cases and 2,121 deaths.