Australian nationals and people who have been in India within 14 days of the date they plan to return home will be barred from entering Australia as of Monday, according to government authorities, and anyone who disobeys will face fines and prison time.
The temporary emergency declaration, released late on Friday, is the first time Australia has declared returning home a criminal offense.
The step is part of a series of stringent steps aimed at discouraging visitors to Australia from the world’s second most populated nation, which is dealing with an increase in COVID-19 cases and deaths.
According to Health Minister Greg Hunt in a tweet, the prohibitions go into effect on May 3, and violators face civil fines and up to five years in jail.
“These actions are not taken lightly by the government,” Hunt said.
“However, it is important that the reputation of Australia’s public health and quarantine services be safeguarded, and the number of COVID-19 cases in quarantine facilities is kept to a reasonable degree.”
On May 15, the government would rethink the limitations.
The death toll from coronavirus in India surpassed 200,000 this week, and the number of cases is approaching 19 million as virulent new strains mix with “super-spreader” activities such as political protests and religious festivals.
The proposal to “criminalize” Australians returning from India, according to Neela Janakiramanan, an Australian surgeon with relatives in India, was disproportionate and unnecessarily draconian.
“Indian-Australians see this as a discriminatory approach because we are viewed differently than citizens from other nations who have seen similar outbreaks of infection, such as the United States, the United Kingdom, and Europe. It’s difficult not to feel threatened as a member of an ethnic community.”
Human rights organizations have expressed outrage at the ban, arguing that the government’s priority should be to improve the quarantine regime rather than to prosecute.
“This is a ridiculous answer. Australians have the freedom to return to their homeland “Elaine Pearson, the head of Human Rights Watch in Australia, issued a statement.
“Rather than relying on prison terms and draconian penalties, the government should look at ways to easily quarantine Australians returning from India.”
Australia, which has no group broadcasts, suspended direct flights from India from Tuesday until mid-May. Some Australians, including cricketers Adam Zampa and Kane Richardson, did, however, return through Doha.
According to officials, the move on Tuesday stranded over 9,000 Australians in India, 650 of whom are classified as vulnerable.
