Australians could face jail or fines if they return from India

Australians citizens returning home from India could face up to five years in jail and fines after the government made the journey temporarily illegal.

Moreover, the health ministry said the ruling had been made ‘based on the proportion of people in quarantine who is acquiring a Covid-19 infection in India. Earlier this week, Australia banned all flights from India.

There are an estimated 9,000 Australians in India, 600 of whom are classing as vulnerable. This will be the first time Australians have been criminalizing for returning to their country, Australian media report.

However, one doctor told ABC that the governments’ move was disproportionate to the threat posed by those returning from India. Our families are quite literally dying in India overseas to have absolutely no way of getting them out this is abandonment, Gp and health commentator Dr. Vyom Sharmer said.

Meanwhile, anyone who has been in India within 14 days of their intended arrival date in Australia. It will be banned from entering the country. Failing to comply with the new ruling could result in a five-year jail sentence, an A$66,000 fine.

The government does not make these decisions lightly, Health Minister Greg Hunt said in the statement. However, it is critical the integrity of the Australian public health and quarantine system is protecting. The number of Covid-19 cases in quarantine facilities is reducing to a manageable level.

Erosion of rights;

However, the problem for stranded Australians is that you can’t argue a UN treaty in an Australian court. Citizenship rights and many other freedoms are guarantees under their law. Australia lacks a human rights charter or explicit protections in its constitution.

The government can make something a criminal offense overnight. At the height of the pandemic last year, the government beefed up its Biosecurity Act to give. The health minister near unconditional powers bypassing parliament.

Australia has implemented a series of strict measures to keep the virus out of the country since the pandemic began in February 2020. While the country is enjoying near-zero infection rates and has had far fewer fatalities than most countries. The strict lockdown policies have left many Australians stranded overseas. 

The ban on Indian arrivals this week has marked an escalation for the first time the country. It has stopped evacuations and blocked citizens from returning home altogether. It intensifies calls for more to be done to get Australians home.