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How the Prime Minister's 'four-phase' road back to normal will work

Australians have at last been offered a look at the national pathway out of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison said National Cabinet had agreed to a four-phase program that would end with coronavirus being treated "like any other infectious disease".

"The pathway we have agreed today, I think, gives all Australians encouragement and, I think, much needed hope in what has been a very difficult time," he said.

Here's how the Prime Minister sees the plan unfolding.

LIVE UPDATES: PM unveils four-point plan for 'path out of COVID-19'

Prime Minister Scott Morrison coronavirus national cabinet

Phase One – Vaccinate, Prepare, and Pilot

This is the phase the country is currently in, Mr Morrison said.

The key plank of it is the national vaccination plan, and every Australian becoming fully vaccinated.

Australia is set to hit eight million doses of vaccine administered today, with one million in the past eight days.

READ MORE: Scott Morrison outlines Australia's pathway out of the pandemic

Mr Morrison said it was forecast all Australians would have a chance to be vaccinated by the end of the year.

The government will temporarily reduce commercial inbound passenger arrivals to all major airports by 50 percent, to reduce the pressure on quarantine facilities, by July 14.

"Simply reducing the caps doesn't necessarily provide a fail safe, but because of the particular virulence of the Delta strain, it is believed that is a prudent action while we remain in this suppression phase of the virus," Mr Morrison said.

However, the Commonwealth government will facilitate increased commercial flights in order to bring Australians home.

They will be taken to Darwin for quarantine at the Howard Springs facility.

READ MORE: International passenger arrivals to be reduced by 50 per cent to ease pressure on quarantine facilities

"I would note in recent days and weeks that we have seen demand for those facilitated flights run by the Commonwealth having actually dipped and so those flights we have been bringing in have not been full because there hasn't been the demand to take those up," Mr Morrison said.

"I suspect that will change now with the commercial flight restrictions, then we will see that supply being fully taken up and we will be enhancing that."

Even in this opening phase, the National Cabinet agreed lockdowns would only be used as a last resort.

READ MORE: Home quarantine will be trialled for vaccinated travellers

The federal government will trial and pilot the introduction of alternative quarantine options for separate jurisdictions, including home quarantine for returning vaccinated travellers.

Vaccinated people could also only be required to quarantine for seven days instead of 14.

A small-scale trial is set to take place in South Australia.

Commercial trials for the entry of student and economic visa holders will be expanded.

The digital Medicare vaccination certificate is also set to be adopted by the government.

Another review of the national hotel quarantine network will also take place to ensure it is up to standard.

Phase Two – Post-Vaccination

A yet-to-be-determined vaccination threshold will trigger the second phase of the plan.

Mr Morrison said it would be a "scientific" number, not one motivated by political considerations.

"Once we get through that gate, and that will be determined by the scientific evidence, then we will move into a phase where we seek to minimise serious illness, hospitalisation and fatality as a result of COVID-19," he said.

Measures to achieve this are yet to be determined.

However, the Prime Minister indicated this phase could include eased restrictions on vaccinated residents regarding lockdowns and border controls.

READ MORE: Lockdowns to become a last resort

Qantas planes on the tarmac at Sydney Airport.

Lockdowns would only occur in extreme circumstances to prevent escalating hospitalisation and fatality.

Inbound passenger caps will be restored to their previous levels for unvaccinated returning travellers, with even larger caps for those who are vaccinated.

Australia will allow a capped entry of student and economic visa holders, subject to quarantine arrangements and availability.

READ MORE: Australia risks becoming 'hermit kingdom of the world'

New quarantine arrangements will be introduced for vaccinated residents, based on the results of the trials in phase one.

The government will also look to implement the vaccine booster program at that time, or to be preparing it, depending on the timeframe of hitting the vaccination threshold.

Phase Three – Consolidation

The third phase of the plan will involve the management of COVID-19 in the same way as other infectious diseases.

Mr Morrison said that meant hospitalisation and fatality rates from the virus would be similar to the flu.

"When it is like the flu, we should treat it like the flu and that means no lockdowns," he said.

Sydney

Vaccinated residents would be exempted from all domestic restrictions, and caps would be abolished on returning vaccinated travellers.

Further cap increases for student economic and humanitarian visa holders will also be put in place.

All restrictions on out-bound travel for vaccinated persons would be removed, and the "travel bubble" extended new countries such as Singapore, Pacific nations, and potentially others.

Phase Four – Back To Normal

Vaccinated people will be allowed to enter Australia without quarantining, while the caps will also be removed for unvaccinated arrivals.

The latter will be tested for COVID-19 pre-flight and on arrival.

Mr Morrison said the modelling for the four-phase plan was crucial to its success.

He said it was hoped the work would be completed by the end of July.

"What it means is, Australia gets vaccinated, Australia is able to live differently," he said.