Australians stuck in COVID-ravaged India could face up to five years in jail and heavy fines if they breach a travel ban to return home.
Key points:
- The temporary ban on travel from India begins on Monday
- It applies to any travellers who have visited India within 14 days of their intended arrival date in Australia
- Breaches of the travel ban could lead to up to five years' imprisonment
The temporary ban begins on Monday and applies to any travellers who have visited India within 14 days of their intended arrival date in Australia.
It is understood to be the first time Australia has banned its own citizens from returning, to the point of there being criminal sanctions for those who make it home.
Health Minister Greg Hunt said the new measures were due to an "unmanageable" number of arrivals from the country who have tested positive to COVID-19.
Breaches of the travel ban could lead to five years' imprisonment, a $66,000 fine or both.
"However, it is critical the integrity of the Australian public health and quarantine systems is protected and the number of COVID-19 cases in quarantine facilities is reduced to a manageable level."
ABC News: Nick Haggarty
)The so-called "temporary pause" on travel from India will be reviewed on May 15.
The government said the decision was reached following yesterday's National Cabinet meeting, which discussed the Indian situation and the vaccine rollout.
National Cabinet agreed that getting vulnerable Australians home from India as soon as possible after May 15 was the top priority.
Australia has previously agreed to supply ventilators and personal protective equipment to India, to help its strained medical system.
India has set a global record for more than a week with a daily average of nearly 350,000 infections.
The death toll continues to surge, now past 200,000, but experts believe figures for both deaths and cases are undercounted.
The outbreak had already prompted Australia to suspend all direct and government-organised repatriation flights until mid May.
Some Australians, including cricketers Adam Zampa and Kane Richardson, managed to return via Doha.
The US is also joining the growing list of countries imposing a ban on most travel from India.
The US restrictions will come into force next Tuesday, local time.
Most non-US citizens will be barred from entry, although, unlike Australia, it won't affect permanent residents and some relatives of Americans citizens.
Australian 'families are quite literally dying in India'
Melbourne GP and health commentator Vyom Sharma said the move by the federal government was disproportionate to the threat posed by returning travellers.
"It is incredibly disproportionate to the threat that is posed," Dr Sharma told Weekend Breakfast.
"Of course, different people can have different assessments of risk, and I guess my concern is that the government is so sensitive to the risk that they can't take in this increased load of people coming in."
AP: Altaf Qadri
)Dr Sharma also said the move appears to be inconsistent with responses to earlier outbreaks in Europe and the US.
"What strikes me as also bizarre is that USA back in January was returning to us Australians, in much higher quantities of people, who were testing positive and yet there was no talk of plan banning those flights then," he said.
"We are talking about literal fines and making it illegal for people to come back to Australia from India.
"Our families are quite literally dying in India overseas. Many people are trying to come back.
"We know that hundreds of people in this situation are classify as medically and financially vulnerable, to have absolutely no way of getting them out — this is abandonment."
https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMibmh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmFiYy5uZXQuYXUvbmV3cy8yMDIxLTA1LTAxL2NyaW1lLXRvLWZseS1mcm9tLWluZGlhLXRvLWF1c3RyYWxpYS1jb3ZpZC1mZWRlcmFsLWdvdmVybm1lbnQvMTAwMTA4ODk40gEoaHR0cHM6Ly9hbXAuYWJjLm5ldC5hdS9hcnRpY2xlLzEwMDEwODg5OA?oc=5
2021-04-30 20:49:12Z
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