âIf there were 10,000 Australians with white skin would they have done the same thing? Noâ
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Furious community leaders have accused the federal government of imposing âracistâ jail terms on Australians who return from India amid a wider row over the secrecy involved in the emergency controls on citizen rights.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison is also facing growing unrest among government MPs who want the sanctions eased as soon as possible out of concern that the âextremeâ measures impose great hardship on the community.
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Facing claims the ban on Australian citizens and permanent residents returning from India was motivated by racism, the Prime Minister said the two-week restrictions established under federal biosecurity laws would be reviewed regularly.
Chief Medical Officer Professor Paul Kelly and Prime Minister Scott Morrison explained the ban on Monday.Â
Alex Ellinghausen
Health authorities said the ban â which includes potential penalties of as much as $66,000 in fines and five years in jail â was necessary to prevent new community spread, as India recorded more than 368,000 new cases on Monday.
Struggling under the weight of about 3.5 million active cases as the nationâs total caseload for the pandemic nears 20 million, hospitalsâ supplies and oxygen are in extreme demand and vaccine stocks are being exhausted in the worldâs second-most populous nation.
Health by Andrew Koubaridis and AFP 4th May 2021 5:34 AM
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Subscriber only As India pleads for help battling coronavirus, more heartbreaking news continues to emerge - this time the number of children who are desperate for oxygen. One children s clinic in Delhi raised the alarm on Twitter over a shortage of oxygen that has reportedly left around 25 to 30 newborns and children at risk. The actual number is likely to be much higher as the case load is understood to be seriously under-reported. Oxygen is a basic requirement of a hospital and a consistent supply has not been assured. We are constantly firefighting, the head of the Madhukar Rainbow Children s Hospital Dr Dinesh told the
Jail Time for Arrivals From India Part of BioSecurity Act: Chief Medical Officer
Australia’s top medical officer has revealed he did not advise the government to threaten Australians trying to dodge the Indian travel ban with jail.
The Morrison government has copped strident criticism from doctors, human rights groups and the Indian-Australian community over the punitive measures.
Massive fines or up to five years behind bars are in place for people who find a way around a temporary pause on travellers from India due to COVID-19.
While senior government ministers have pointed to health advice as to the basis of the decision, Chief Medical Officer Paul Kelly said the powers already existed.