The first international students have returned to Australia since the coronavirus pandemic began, with more set to follow.
A charter flight carrying more than 60 students from China, Hong Kong, Japan, Vietnam, and Indonesia landed in Darwin on Monday morning.
The students, who are all enrolled at Charles Darwin University, will quarantine for two weeks at a facility in Howard Springs before they can return to class.
A Northern Territory government spokesperson confirmed they’re the first international students allowed back into the country since March 20 and said more are expected to follow.
“This is the tip of the iceberg to get the ball rolling. CDU relies quite heavily on their international student cohort as do many universities,” the spokesperson told AAP.
“CDU has been working quite closely with the Northern Territory government to facilitate this first flight.
“As we revoke our final domestic hotspot today, the timing was right and we’re obviously also equipped to take international return travelers.”
The spokesperson said the NT government was processing 500 people per week at the National Resilience Centre at Howard Springs.
About 5000 people are expected to go through the centre before March next year.
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