Treasurer Josh Frydenberg says a travel ban preventing Australians from returning from India is “drastic” but “designed to keep Australians safe”.
Important points:
- The temporary travel ban from India begins on Monday
- This applies to all travelers who have visited India within 14 days of their scheduled arrival date in Australia
- Violations of the travel ban can lead to imprisonment of up to five years
The temporary ban begins on Monday and applies to all travelers who have visited India within 14 days of their scheduled arrival date in Australia.
Changes to the Biosecurity Act mean Australians face up to five years in prison and heavy fines if they flee COVID-ravaged country to return home.
It is viewed as the first time Australia has banned its own citizens from returning, pending criminal penalties for those who make it home.
According to Frydenberg, the government has followed medical advice to keep Australians safe.
“We have taken drastic measures to ensure the safety of Australians and we are facing a very serious situation in India where the medical advice to the federal government was to take these strict measures,” he said.
Health Secretary Greg Hunt and Prime Minister Scott Morrison announce an update on Australia’s COVID-19 vaccine launch on April 9th at Parliament House in Canberra. (
ABC News: Nick Haggarty
)
Announcing the changes later on Friday, Health Secretary Greg Hunt said the move was due to an “unmanageable” number of arrivals from the country who tested positive for COVID-19.
Travel ban violations could result in a five-year prison sentence, a $ 66,000 fine, or both.
“The government doesn’t make these decisions lightly,” Hunt said in a statement.
“However, it is critical that the integrity of the Australian health and quarantine systems is protected and that the number of COVID-19 cases in quarantine facilities is manageable.”
The so-called “temporary break” when traveling from India will be reviewed on May 15th.
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The government said the decision was taken after yesterday’s National Cabinet meeting, which discussed the Indian situation and the introduction of the vaccine.
The National Cabinet agreed that getting Australians at risk home from India as soon as possible after May 15 was a top priority.
Australia previously agreed to provide ventilators and personal protective equipment to India to help its tense medical system.
India has set a world record for more than a week with a daily average of nearly 350,000 infections.
The death toll continues to climb, now over 200,000, but experts believe the deaths and cases are under counted.
The outbreak had already caused Australia to suspend all direct and government-organized return flights until mid-May.
Space to play or pause, M to mute, left and right arrows to search, up and down arrows for volume.ClockDuration: 3 minutes 18 seconds3m 18s Why India’s Actual COVID-19 Numbers Are Likely To Be Much Higher
Some Australians including cricketers Adam Zampa and Kane Richardsonmanaged to return via Doha.
Government MP Katie Allen said the risks posed by the influx of positive cases from India were too great.
“We know that quarantine cannot be perfect because there may be human error, but also one in 100 cases becomes positive after the first two weeks,” said Dr. Everyone.
“That’s why the system is very careful and well-considered. Supported by excellent contact tracing.”
Opposition MP Jason Clare agreed to the government’s flight ban.
However, he said it was too far to make a crime for Australians to return home.
“I think it would be a big crime, a big mistake, to make it a crime for Australians to come home,” said Clare.
“I think we should make it easier for people to get home.”
He suggested quarantining travelers on Christmas Island to find a solution.
“When we got home on flights from China, we took the flights to get Aussies out and took them to Christmas Island,” said Clare.
“We could do that now.”
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Australian “families are literally dying in India”
Melbourne general practitioner and health commentator Vyom Sharma said the federal government’s move was disproportionate to the threat posed by returning travelers.
“It is incredibly disproportionate to the threat that it poses,” said Dr. Sharma versus the weekend breakfast.
“Of course, different people can have different risk ratings, and I think my concern is that the government is so sensitive to the risk that they can’t accommodate this increased number of people who come in.”
Space to play or pause, M to mute, left and right arrows to search, up and down arrows for volume.ClockDuration: 4 minutes 17 seconds4m 17s GP Dr. Vyom Sharma meets the “incredibly disproportionate” Indian travel suspension.
Dr. Sharma also said the move appears to be inconsistent with responses to previous outbreaks in Europe and the US.
“What also strikes me as bizarre is that the US returned to us Australians in January, in a lot more people who tested positive, and yet there was no talk of banning those flights,” he said.
“Why did India lift this ban and not people who came from America?
“We’re talking about fines and making it illegal for people to return to Australia from India.
“Our families are literally dying in India overseas. Lots of people are trying to come back.
“We know that hundreds of people in this situation are being placed medically and financially at risk with absolutely no way to get them out – this is abandonment.”
“It reflects a lack of confidence in the system.”
Burnet Institute epidemiologist Michael Toole says the decision to ban travel from India reflects the government’s confidence in the quarantine system.
Space to play or pause, M to mute, left and right arrows to search, up and down arrows for volume.ClockDuration: 3 minutes 54 seconds3m 54s Professor Michael Toole warns of further bans if the quarantine is not resolved.
“For me this is a lack of trust in the system and I think that’s a shame,” said Professor Toole.
According to his count, there have been 16 separate leaks in hotel quarantine in five capital cities since November last year.
Professor Toole said there were enough resources available to overhaul the Australian hotel quaratine system with the lessons learned since the pandemic began.
“I think the hotel corridor is the international border right now and we should be able to protect it,” he said.
“We need to do this by ensuring that there is adequate ventilation in every hotel room and that employees are wearing the most appropriate protective equipment, including breathing masks.
“It just didn’t happen because we don’t have a national standard.
“Every state and territory basically does its own thing.”
Medical oxygen supplies in India are also running out, making the need to vaccinate the population even more urgent. (
AP: Altaf Qadri
)
He said authorities could expect more community broadcasts in hotel quarantine if the program doesn’t improve.
“Like I said, we’ve seen 16 times in the past 6 months,” he said.
“And if we don’t make improvements, we can assume there will be more than a dozen more violations in the six months of the section.”
