Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and Australian Prime Scott Morrison discussed the reinstatement of a “safe and calibrated” travel bubble between the two countries. According to Loong, everything needs to be fully prepared—from the infrastructure, processes, vaccination certificates to logistics—to ensure the plan will be successful.
This air travel bubble will help bring back up the socioeconomic status of Australia as international students will then be allowed to enter the country again. “The international student numbers have dried up, so to see that start again will be important, and there are many Australian jobs that hang off that industry,” said Peter Dutton, Australian Defence Minister.
Singaporean students and other students who were left stranded out of Australia can set foot on campus. Currently, Australian borders remain closed for international students, affecting international students and higher education institutions (HEIs).
This proposed travel bubble is still in the early stages of planning, and the two leaders agree that it will require considerable time to perfect it. One factor to consider is the vaccination rollout of each country. Implementation of the travel bubble if a good percentage of the population in each country is fully vaccinated.
As of mid-June, Singapore has vaccinated reached 33% of its population. In contrast, Australia is still lagging, with only 2.6% of its entire population receiving the jab.
Once the travel bubble is in place, vaccinated individuals will no longer be required to undergo quarantine. However, if there will be a need for entry of non-vaccinated individuals, quarantine hubs must be accessible and affordable to accommodate all international students.
Read more:
- Australia Adopts New ‘Category Standards’ For HEIs
- Victoria Taps Kenya for Wider Int’l Education Network
- Int’l Students’ Return to Australia May Be At Risk Yet Again—Experts
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