Saturday, May 1, 2021

Australia bans, criminalises arrivals from COVID-hit India | Al Jazeera

Australia bans, criminalises arrivals from COVID-hit India

Australian residents and citizens who have been in India will be banned from entering Australia as of Monday and those who disobey will face fines and jail.

The temporary “emergency determination”, issued late on Friday, is the first time Australia has made it a criminal offence for its citizens to return home.

The move is part of strict measures to stop travellers to Australia from the world’s second most populous nation as it contends with a surge in COVID-19 cases and deaths.

Health Minister Greg Hunt announced that anyone attempting to defy the new rules would be hit with fines of up to 66,600 Australian dollars ($51,800), five years in prison, or both, the Australian Associated Press reported.

“The government does not make these decisions lightly,” Hunt said in a statement. “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.”

The government will reconsider the restrictions on May 15.

Some 9,000 Australians in India are registered as wanting to return, including 650 listed as “vulnerable”, according to the Australian Associated Press.

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