Darwin, Australia:
62 international students, who flew into Darwin as a part of Australia’s first pilot project to welcome back international students, have completed their 14 day quarantine, and have been welcomed back into the campus of Charles Darwin University.
The students, mostly travelling from China and Southeast Asia, landed in Darwin Airport on 30th November. They were required to provide evidence of testing negative for Covid-19 72 hours before departing to Darwin, and were transferred directly to the quarantine centre at Howard Springs upon arrival.
The cohort, from mainland China, Hong Kong, Japan, Vietnam and Indonesia, is the first group of students arriving in Australia since the country shut its borders in March, 2020.
CDU Vice-Chancellor Professor Simon Maddocks said CDU was leading the nation by becoming the first university to welcome back international students, who were well supported during their time in quarantine.
“CDU organised a comprehensive support program for students during their quarantine period including care packages, safety briefings, daily phone calls, virtual coffee catch-ups and exercise classes, along with English language and employability workshops,” Professor Maddocks said.
“It’s been wonderful to welcome these students on to campus today. Their arrival will provide a significant boost to CDU and the Northern Territory economy. Analysis shows each of these newly arrived students will contribute more than $40,000 to the local economy each year. International students generated $145 million to the NT’s economy in 2019 alone and supported more than 600 jobs”, Professor Maddocks further added.
