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Australia tightens travel ban from India, violators face penalties, 5-year jail term

Human rights groups term the strict travel restrictions as "outrageous"

scott-morrison-ap Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison | AP

Hours after the US banned travel from India, Australia has tightened its restrictions on people arriving from the COVID-battered nation. The island country has imposed one of the strictest travel restrictions in place with penalties and jail term for those who disobey the rules. 

From May 3, any traveller into Australia who has been in India in the past 14 days could face fines and up to five years imprisonment, Health Minister Greg Hunt said in a statement. "The government does not make these decisions lightly," Hunt said. "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," Reuters reported citing Hunt's statement. 

The government will reconsider the restrictions on May 15.

Australia strengthened its earlier travel ban, in an attempt to prevent the double variant Indian outbreak from reaching its shores. This is the first time Australia has made it a criminal offence for its citizens to return home.

The threat came after travellers on indirect flights from India exposed a loophole in the government's attempt to temporarily block arrivals from the South Asian nation.

However, the announcement was labelled "outrageous" by Human Rights Watch. "This is an outrageous response. Australians have a right of return to their own country," Human Rights Watch's Australia director, Elaine Pearson said in a statement. "The government should be looking for ways to safely quarantine Australians returning from India, instead of focusing their efforts on prison sentences and harsh punishments."





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