On Tuesday, April 27, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison took a shocking decision regarding international flights from India and announced that Australia has suspended all direct passenger flights from India due to the unprecedented spike in COVID-19 cases.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison also said the suspension would remain in place until at least May 15 due to “clearly present” risks of travel from India.
Australia will suspend all direct passenger flights from India until May 15, says PM Scott Morrison. #COVID19 pic.twitter.com/sev4Ym5rNk
— ANI (@ANI) April 27, 2021
Australian cabinet’s national security committee has taken this decision to consider the move to temporarily restrict flights from India along with what equipment and assistance could be sent.
There are about 9,000 Australians in India who are registered with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade as wanting to return home.
Morrison also said that the suspension was not a permanent measure, saying repatriation flights would resume with the “most vulnerable” given priority.
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison also shared an update about the Australian cricketers who are playing IPL and added, “We don’t think the answer is to for sake those Australians in India and just shut them off, as some seem to suggest. There would be no special treatment for cricketers currently playing in the Indian Premier League (IPL).”
Earlier this month, New Zealand also imposed a temporary block on all travellers from India, shutting out returning Kiwis for the first time since the pandemic emerged.
In the last 24 hours, India reported 3,23,144 new COVID-19 cases and 2,51,827 patients got discharge, while 2,771 people died of this deadly virus. Total active cases in India is now around 28.82 lakhs. The total death toll in India reached to 1,97,894.
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