Yocket presents official Covid-19 updates for aspirants planning to study in Australia/New Zealand. Keep checking this page for updates from Universities, Test Organisation, Consulates and Universal Institute. You may contribute any new updates you have in the comments which you’d like us to share!
(Updated on Monday & Thursday by 11:00 IST)
19th July, 2021
No ‘return to normal’ expected in post-pandemic New Zealand.
As countries look for a post-pandemic pathway back to “normal”, New Zealand is making no promises and will continue to impose restrictions.
15th July, 2021
Melbourne to face lockdown soon.
Australia's second most populous city of Melbourne will enter a snap lockdown from midnight on Friday to rein in a growing outbreak of COVID-19 infections.
12th July, 2021
Australia's Victoria to close borders with neighbouring states.
Australia's state of Victoria is closing its borders to New South Wales and Australian Capital Territory on Sunday amid a rise in Covid-19 cases in New South Wales, the state's Department of Health said.
8th July, 2021
Australia to extend lockdown further.
The spike in cases after two weeks of a hard lockdown in Sydney, Australia's largest city, raised the prospect of a further extension in restrictions.
5th July, 2021
Australia to extend lockdown.
Australia’s New South Wales is considered to be ‘“absolutely critical”. The ease of lockdown in Sydney which was scheduled for July 9, 2021 will be extended to a later date due to the rise of Covid-19 cases.
1st July, 2021
3 Australian cities lockdown due to the Delta Variant.
Sydney is under a two-week lockdown until July 9 while the lockdown in the northern city of Darwin was extended for another 72 hours until Friday.
28th June, 2021
New Zealand raises alert level due to the Delta Variant outbreak.
New Zealand will extend the Covid-19 alert level in the capital Wellington for two days.
24th June, 2021
New Zealand raises alert level due to the Delta Variant outbreak.
New Zealand raised the Covid-19 alert level in its capital Wellington on Wednesday amid concerns that the city may have been exposed to the highly infectious Delta variant that has triggered a fresh outbreak in neighbouring Australia.
21st June, 2021
Western Australia to begin with complete reopening.
Authorities plan to reopen hospitality & entertainment venues with full capacity in Western Australia.
17th June, 2021
Victoria to finally become ‘low-risk’.
Victoria reports only 2 cases of Covid-19 in the past 24-hours. Authorities expect to ease lockdown further soon.
16th June, 2021
Melbourne to ease Covid restrictions.
The authorities state that there will be an ease of restrictions in Melbourne which will have the 25 KM limit removed and most of the businesses reopened.
15th June, 2021
Australia to get back to normal soon.
With very few cases recorded, Australian authorities are confident about the situation getting back to normal.
14th June, 2021
Australia’s Victoria state expects further ease of restrictions.
The health authorities suggest that the number of cases recorded are decreasing with time and it is possible to ease Covid-19 restrictions further.
11th June, 2021
Australia to exit lockdown.
Australia finally free from lockdown except for some ‘high-risk’ curbs in Melbourne.
10th June, 2021
New Zealand to be Covid free soon.
With only a few Covid-19 cases in managed isolation, New Zealand has almost recovered from the Covid-19 virus. New Zealand is crowned world’s most livable city, 2021 as it becomes Covid-19 free.
9th June, 2021
Melbourne to get back to normal.
After a 7- day lockdown Melbourne starts to ease out its lockdown restrictions as Covid-19 cases decrease.
8th June, 2021
Victoria to get back to normal soon.
Victoria records only two new cases with 92 cases in total. The authorities will wait till Thursday to share more information about the travel restrictions.
7th June, 2021
Victoria records new local cases.
Australia is concerned due to the continuous spread of Covid-19. The authorities have imposed strict measures regarding the same.
4th June, 2021
New Zealand to safeguard against Covid-19.
New Zealand confirms on having a strict ban over all ‘high-risk’ countries and leaving none exempt from quarantine.
3rd June, 2021
Lockdown in Melbourne extended by a week.
The current variant of Covid-19 is described as an “absolute beast’ by the authorities. This has led to strict restrictions for all international travelers except for those traveling from New Zealand.
2nd June, 2021
Victoria’s situation to be considered ‘incredibly serious’.
The number of Covid-19 cases in Victoria have increased exponentially for the past week causing a strict lockdown and other restrictions taking place currently.
Important Update:
The Supreme Court announces suspension of Grade 12 CBSE board final examination.
1st June, 2021
New Zealand one step away from full recovery.
New Zealand records no new community & managed isolation cases in the past 24 hours. The active number of cases drops to 13, following the possibility of managed reopening soon.
Important Update:
The Supreme Court on Monday has adjourned its final decision to Thursday, on the plea filed for cancellation of CBSE & ICSE class 12 exams. The Supreme Court should return with a final decision in the next two days.
31st May, 2021
New Zealand with almost no new Covid cases.
There have been only 2 new cases found in managed isolation making New Zealand first large economy with no community spread of Covid. The list of countries banned is still in operation with Victoria as an addition to the same.
29th May, 2021
Maharashtra government to arrange walk-in vaccination for international students.
The Maharashtra government has initiated a vaccination program for international students who have received confirmation of admissions in universities abroad and require vaccines for the same. The walk-in program will be effective from 31st May, 2021 to 2nd June, 2021.
Vaccination Centres:
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Rajawadi
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Cooper
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Kasturba
Requirements to get vaccinated:
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1- 20 or DS - 160 form
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Verified confirmed letter to the university
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Personal ID documents
28th May, 2021
New Zealand imposes restrictions on travelers arriving from Australia.
The New Zealand government recommends all passengers arriving from Victoria unless exempt to follow Covid-19 restrictions which includes mandatory Covid-19 test & isolation to protect NZ.
27th May, 2021
Victoria announces a strict lockdown.
The Australian authorities have announced a strict lockdown due to the outbreak in Melbourne. Victoria will face lockdown for next 7 days.
26th May, 2021
Restrictions announced in Greater Melbourne to be reviewed again.
As there were no cases recorded in Melbourne, the authorities will review the suspension of Melbourne travel bubble. The authorities see a slight chance of the restrictions to be suspended.
25th May, 2021
Restrictions announced in Greater Melbourne due to the new outbreak.
As seen earlier, New Zealand has been exponentially recovering from Covid-19 however, recent news of a new outbreak in Greater Melbourne has led to several restrictions for all citizens until exempt.
24th May, 2021
New Zealand on recovering from Covid.
6 new cases in managed isolation have been neutralised and no new community cases have been found. Total number of cases sum up to 23. However, New Zealand still plans to continue the isolation and travel ban against travelers coming from high-risk regions/countries.
21st May, 2021
Australia to maintain good pace at vaccinating the citizens.
As Australians hope for a reopening and cancellation of all Covid-19 restrictions, the government speeds up the process of vaccination.
20th May, 2021
New Zealand records 6 new cases in managed isolation.
The Ministry of Health declares 0 new community cases in the past 24 hours and 19 active cases. However, reports record 6 new cases in managed & controlled isolation facilities. New Zealand sees the possibility of a reopening soon.
19th May, 2021
No new cases recorded in New Zealand.
The Ministry of Health declares 0 new cases in the past 24 hours and 19 active cases. The reopening of the international border is likely to take place soon.
18th May, 2021
Australians support opening of international borders.
Australians urge the authorities to reopen borders for international travel in a managed and regulated way, restricting high-risk countries.
17th May, 2021
Australia to ease Covid-19 restrictions.
Social restrictions have been eased in Greater Sydney as no new cases of Covid-19 have been found post monday. However, the Australian government has no plans of opening up international travel until at least the middle of 2022.
14th May, 2021
New Zealand to explore more travel ‘bubbles’.
According to the New Zealand Prime Minister, the nation should be ready to rebuild contact with the rest of the world. The government plans to reconnect with the post-pandemic world as all essential workers are already vaccinated and plan on vaccinating the wider population.
13th May, 2021
Lockdown extended in Sydney for one more week.
For the past one week the government hasn’t been able to detect a single coronavirus case in Sydney which leads to an optimism towards being Covid free. The extension is in-order to neutralise any unidentified cases of Covid-19.
12th May, 2021
Traveling from Victoria to New Zealand remains quarantine-free.
The New Zealand government states that the country stands at a low-risk state and falls under a green zone which allows the travelers to travel quarantine-free despite a new Covid-19 case detected in South Australia.
11th May, 2021
Flights to Australia remain banned till May 31, 2021.
Due to the high rise of Covid-19 cases in India and phase two in effect, the Indian government had imposed a lockdown. Therefore, all commercial flights flying to Australia remain cancelled till May 31, 2021.
10th May, 2021
Australia initiates with the vaccination process.
The Australian citizens above the age of 16 are requested to vaccinate themselves as soon as possible. Australia might soon restrict entries for only Covid-19 vaccinated travellers.
7th May, 2021
Australia switching back to Covid restrictions.
Australia fears another possible outbreak of an Indian variant Covid-19 virus and follows on to restrict international travel.
6th May, 2021
New Zealand to open a second travel bubble.
The New Zealand Prime Minister plans to allow international travelers if the situation remains in control both ways. This means that it’ll be available only for low-risk countries, effective May 17, 2021.
5th May, 2021
Australia returns with strict laws against travelers from India.
To safeguard the Australian population, the government of Australia has returned with strict laws which include that any traveler (who is not an exception), travelling from India when in the ban list, they will be fined and would probably face jail time.
4th May, 2021
New Zealand potential of a lockdown after discovering new Covid-19 cases.
After three new cases in Perth, New Zealand government puts a pause on flights arriving from Australia and is expected to announce an alert/lockdown.
3rd May, 2021
Australia announces a second snap-lockdown.
Australia faces a second wave of the Covid-19 virus resulting in a snap-lockdown immediately. The government also banned all immigrants and citizens who had been in India within the last 14-days from returning home.
30th April, 2021
Visa Application process at Australian Embassy New Delhi may slow down.
The Australian Embassy New Delhi working on reduced staff may impact the visa and imigration process due to the Covid-19 spread.
Article Link: https://india.embassy.gov.au/ndli/Visas_and_Migration.html
29th April, 2021
New Zealand to make exceptions for international students, effective March 5, 2021.
Upto 1000 bachelors and postgraduate students will be allowed to New Zealand if they fall under the eligibility guidelines.
To be eligible you must:
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hold, or have held, a student visa to study in New Zealand that was valid in 2020, and
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have studied in New Zealand in 2019 or 2020 and intended to resume study in New Zealand in 2020 but were unable to because of the border closure, and
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intend on studying the same bachelor’s degree or postgraduate qualification, at the same education provider, as you were previously studying in New Zealand, and
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provide evidence that you have access to at least NZD $20,000 annually for living costs — or NZD $1,667 for each month of study if your programme of study is less than thirty-six weeks, and
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provide evidence that you have additional money to pay for managed isolation and quarantine. Education providers may choose to assist students with some or all of these costs. Charges are subject to change.
28th April, 2021
Australia suspends all direct passenger flights from India until May 15, 2021
Due to a massive surge of Covid-19, Prime Minister Scott Morrison announces a temporary suspension on all direct flights from India until May 15, 2021. This suspension will affect the Australian citizens and international students too.
Article Link: https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/australia-bans-passenger-flights-from-india-until-may-15-2422629
27th April, 2021
New Zealand declares Alert Level 1 due to the rise of Covid-19 Cases
Covid-19 cases start to reappear in New Zealand leading the government to declare alert level 1. This will include screening and 14-day quarantine for everybody entering the country. However, this will not affect any visa application process nor any kind of restriction under the travel sector as of now.
Article Link: https://covid19.govt.nz/alert-system/alert-level-1/