Australia has banned, prosecuting immigrants from COVID-hit India | Coronavirus News Plague
Beginning May 3, Australian citizens and nationals could face fines and imprisonment if they choose to fly from India where they were captured by COVID.
Australian citizens and nationals living in India will be barred from entering Australia from Monday and those who disobey will be fined and imprisoned.
The temporary “emergency reassurance,” which took place late Friday, is the first time Australia has made a mistake for its citizens to return home.
The move is part of a stricter ban on immigration to Australia from the world’s second most populous country in terms of population growth. COVID-19 cases are fatal.
Health Minister Greg Hunt has announced that anyone trying to break the new rules will receive a $ 66,600 Australian ($ 51,800) fine, five years in prison, or both, according to a report by the Australian Associated Press.
“The government does not take the decisions lightly,” Hunt said in a statement. “However, it is important that the integrity of medical institutions in Australia is protected and that the incidence of COVID-19 cases in residential facilities has decreased slightly.”
The government will also consider bans on May 15.
9,000 Australians in India have registered to return, including 650 described as “unsafe”, according to the Australian Associated Press.
‘Prejudice’
The death toll from coronavirus in India has risen to 200,000 this week, and cases exceeded 19.1 million as new experiments combined with “super-spreader” events such as political rallies and religious ceremonies.
Neela Janakiramanan, an Australian doctor with a family history in India, said the idea of ”punishing” Australians who had returned from India was uncooperative and very flawed.
“Australian Indians see this as racist ideology because we are received differently from people from other countries with the same diseases as the US, UK and Europe. It’s hard to feel that anything other than it affects us as a nation.”
A spokesman for the health minister “deeply” rejected the notion that temporary suspension of immigrants from India was a biased approach, saying it was a difficult but important decision that applies “to all people regardless of race, ethnicity or religion”.
Human rights groups have spoken out against the ban, saying the government should focus on respite, not punishment.
“These are angry answers. Australians have the right to return to their country of origin, ”said Elaine Pearson, Director of Australia Human Rights Watch.
“The government should look for ways to locate Australians returning from India, instead of focusing on imprisoning and punishing them harshly.”
.@chimonac in response to the Australian Government’s urgent request to arrest & finance all returnees from India during the COVID ban. 👇👇👇https://t.co/KHmU4IDvGS pic.twitter.com/s9Fto6OkEe
– Elaine Pearson (@PearsonElaine) April 30, 2021
“Is prison a fine for Australians who want to return home? Problems? I am alarmed that the Morrison government thinks this is a legitimate way to address the financial crisis in India, “Greens Senator Sarah Hanson-Young sent a statement.
“It simply came to our notice then. And he should be summoned, “the senator added.
Australia, which does not have a public transport service, on Tuesday announced a temporary suspension from India until mid-May. However, some Australians, including krickick singers Adam Zampa and Kane Richardson, returned via Qatar.
Australia has expelled coronavirus after closing its borders to non-citizens and all citizens in March 2020, recording only 29,800 cases and 910 deaths.
