Australia will soon start allowing year 11 and 12 students to enter from China, except from the Hubei province at the centre of the COVID-19 outbreak.

The Federal Government says high school students remaining in China due to Australian travel restrictions now have a new path to resuming their studies.

Health Minister Greg Hunt said more people will be let due to the continued containment of the COVID-19 virus in Australia - and falling infection rates in China.

Meanwhile, hundreds of Chinese university students are getting around Australia’s ban by spending two weeks outside of China before coming back to Australia.

Western Sydney University is offering Chinese students a one-off, $1,500 payment if they fulfill those requirements.

Australia’s largest eight universities have warned that coronavirus travel ban will cost the economy more than $1 billion and put 7,500 jobs at risk for each 10 per cent fall in Chinese student numbers.

More than 260 Australians evacuated from Wuhan and placed in quarantine for 14 days are now on their way home after being released from a facility in Howard Springs near Darwin.

More than 430 people are at the Darwin facility, some from Wuhan and some from the Diamond Princess cruise ship in Japan.

So far, seven Australian passengers from that ship have tested positive for COVID-19.