Keypoints:
- Australia has made it strict to NOT allow people coming from Covid hit India, considering its massive surge and the country hitting daily records.
- The ones who disobey this order, will face fine and jail term of up to 5 years.
- Government of Austria will reconsider the restrictions on May 15, said the Health Minister.
- These restrictions come in effect from tomorrow, May 3.
India is witnessing an alarming situation because of the surge in Covid-19 cases. The country has been setting daily records of positive cases and deaths. Considering this, the Australian government has decided that the citizens and residents of Australia who have been in India within 14 days of the date that they plan to return home, will now be banned to enter Australia beginning from Monday, May 3. The ones who disobey this rule, will be facing and and jail.
Late on Friday, the temporary emergency determination issued saying that this is the first time that Australia has made it a criminal offence for its citizens to return home.
This move is a part of strict measure to stop Australian travellers to enter Australia from the world’s second most populous country as it is witnessing surge in Covid-19 cases and deaths.
In a statement, Health Minister Greg Hunt said that, these restrictions will come in effect from Monday, May 3 and breaching the ban risks civil penalties and jail term of up to five years.
He said that, “The government does not make these decisions lightly.” ” 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.”
This week, India’s Covid death has passed 200,000 and cases are nearing 19 million as virulent new strains have combined with “super-spreader” events such as political rallies and religious festivals.
Neela Janakiramanan, an Australian surgeon with family in India said the decision to “criminalise” Australians returning from India was disproportionate and overly punitive.
“Indian-Australians are seeing this as a racist policy because we are being treated different than people from other countries who have had similar waves of infection like the U.S., the UK and Europe. It is very hard to feel anything other than targeted as an ethnic group.”
Human Rights group also pointed indignation at the ban, suggesting the government’s focus should be on improving its quarantine system, not on punishment.
“This is an outrageous response. Australians have a right of return to their own country,” Human Rights Watch’s Australia director, Elaine Pearson said in a statement.
