Australia Implements Travel Restrictions on India

As infections reach almost 400,000 new cases daily, Indian healthcare services are being completely overwhelmed (Wikimedia Commons)

In the midst of India’s worsening COVID-19 crisis, Australia has implemented a new travel restriction in an attempt to contain the spread of the virus. The travel ban bars all travelers from India, and Australian government officials warn that failure to comply with the new restrictions could result in hefty fines or even jail time. 

Many other countries, including the U.S., Germany, and the U.K. have instituted similar policies.   However, citizens and permanent residents have been exempted from the travel restrictions and allowed to return to their home countries. 

Australian citizens who have traveled to India, on the other hand, are now stranded, and most are outraged by the travel ban. 

The new policy is an attempt to keep Australia’s hotel quarantine system from being overwhelmed; however, citizens have taken to social media to voice their objections to the discriminatory restrictions. 

“We’re feeling betrayed and unfairly targeted by the federal government’s controversial decision. The Australian government has abdicated all its responsibility towards its citizens and left us all to die here,” said Australian entrepreneur Vikas Mahajan, who traveled to India in February to care for his elderly parents. 

Former cricket commentator Michael Slater also had some harsh words for the Australian Prime Minister. On May 3, Slater tweeted, “If our Government cared for the safety of Aussies they would allow us to get home. It's a disgrace!! Blood on your hands PM.”

Legal experts and human rights groups have criticized the government’s actions, questioning the legality of the restrictions. Many critics have referenced the Australian government’s responses, or the lack thereof, to previous outbreaks in the U.S. and the U.K. 

“We didn't see differential treatment being extended to... the United States, the U.K., and any European country even though the rates of infection were very high,” said Melbourne-based media commentator Andrew Bolt.

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison quickly shot down the claims that the restriction had a racial basis. He referred to similar accusations that were made around a year ago in response to the travel ban on China, emphasizing that both restrictions were essential steps to controlling the outbreak.

Morrison also emphasized that it is highly unlikely that any travelers will be jailed or fined due to the unprecedented nature of the situation. 

In contrast to those stuck in India, citizens in Australia have been largely pleased with the way the government has handled the pandemic. A poll by the Lowy Institute showed that most Australians preferred strict border control, and only one in three surveyed said the government should be more proactive in helping Australians return home.

Natasha Kassam, director of the Lowy Institute’s Public Opinion and Foreign Policy Program, said, “The idea of fortress Australia is politically popular, but is untested in terms of criminalizing citizens for simply coming home.”

Kassam hopes that Australians will become more sympathetic as they begin to realize the severity of the outbreak in India and its threat to Australia’s stranded citizens.

The travel ban will be reviewed on May 15, and government officials will decide whether the restriction is necessary to protect public health and quarantine systems.