Australia is "working with Singapore," the officials said on Sunday to create a travel bubble between the two countries in order to restart tourism and to travel under Covid 19.

Early in the pandemic Australia effectively closed its international borders, which allowed non-citizens to visit other than in special circumstances, to slow the spread of coronavirus.

Michael McCormack, Deputy Prime Minister, said Australia "is at present working with Singapore to make a potential bubble in July."

“As the vaccine rolls out, not only in Australia but in other countries, we will reopen more bubbles,” he said.

The deal would make it possible without quarantining for Singaporeans and Australians vaccinated to travel between countries.

Singapore has already opened its border to a few countries that, including Australia, have controlled the virus, which city-state officials said they want to establish reciprocal travel corridors.

“If only others start to do it, then we’ll have a bubble, you have reciprocity, you can start to travel. And I hope sometime this year we can do that,” transport minister Ong Ye Kung told local radio Friday.

The 14-day Australian hotel quarantine requirement for arrivals left tens of thousands of Australians stranded outside the country with return caps introduced because the small system was unable to handle large numbers.

International tourism has evaporated – the country's economy worth approximately $45 billion per year in advance of the pandemic.

The "travel bubble" in Australia with New Zealand allows Kiwis to travel without quarantining, though in response to virus outbreaks the scheme has been suspended a number of times.