Return travel ban from India ends: Australia opens – a little

Lena Bodewein
ARD-Studio Singapur

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“This is my Australian passport. On the first page there is a statement that clearly states that this passport allows its wearer free entry and exit without obstacles and promises help and protection when they are in need,” says cosmetics manufacturer Vikram Sharma. He is one of around 9,500 Australians stuck in India. “And suddenly this passport, my existence as an Australian citizen, is no longer worth anything to them,” Sharma told Reuters.

You, this is the Australian government. At the beginning of May she had decreed that Australians were not allowed to return from India – a ban that was initially to apply for 14 days. Anyone who tried anyway could face up to five years in prison or the equivalent of 42,000 euros in fines.

Human rights abuses complaints

Prime Minister Scott Morrison defended the move. “It is my responsibility to do everything possible to prevent a third wave in our country. So I do not apologize for anything,” said Morrison. He especially thanks the Indian community in Australia and overseas for their patience and understanding.

But he didn’t get much understanding. There have been complaints about human rights violations and racism. Australians with Indian roots said they felt like second-class citizens, and a sports commentator stuck in India wrote that Morrison had blood on his hands. “These people are going through tough times, we understand that,” said Morrison. “That’s why we’re working to get their families and citizens home safely as soon as possible.”

35,000 Australians are waiting to travel home

The ban on traveling to India ended early this morning – a Qantas machine had brought 1,056 ventilators and 60 oxygen concentrators to India as an aid, on the way back it was supposed to take 150 Australians with it. At 9 a.m. local time, the plane landed in Darwin, in northern Australia. However, 70 passengers had to stay behind in India because they or family members had tested positive for the corona virus before departure. Those who made it into the country had to go through two weeks of quarantine in an old miners camp.

1000 compatriots are to be brought back from India by the end of June. But for around 35,000 other Australians around the world, a return is a long way off. Some of them have not seen their families for more than a year. The number of return flights is low, the cost of a ticket and two weeks of quarantine are unaffordable for many. The borders remain tight for non-Australians. Regular travel activities could perhaps be resumed in the middle or even at the end of next year.

Conversely, Australians who want to leave their country have to show valid reasons – for example, that they have to emigrate or have to bury a family member. But many would like to see their loved ones alive again.