Australia defends ban on those coming from India

Facing criticism, PM Scott Morrison says the decision is taken in the ‘best interests’ of the country

MELBOURNE/MOSCOW: Australia’s Prime Minister Scott Morrison on Monday defended his government’s decision to ban and impose a jail term and a penalty for Australians trying to return from India, saying it is in the country’s “best interests” and to prevent a third wave of Covid-19 infections.

The Australian government, for the first time in history, recently imposed a ban on its citizens from returning home, if they have spent time in India up to 14 days before flying back. The government threatened to prosecute them with a possibility of five years of jail term or a penalty of 66,000 Australian dollars (US$50,899).

Morrison said this is a temporary arrangement and a very difficult decision. “It has been put in place to ensure that we do not get a third wave here in Australia and that our quarantine system can remain strong,” he said, adding that it is in the country’s “best interests”. He also said that he feels terribly for the Indian community.

Australian cricketer-turned-commentator Michael Slater, who is doing commentary in the IPL tournament in India, has launched a scathing attack on Morrison over the decision, calling the travel ban a “disgrace”.

Elsewhere, Russia is turning to multiple Chinese firms to manufacture the Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine in an effort to speed up production as demand soars for its shot. Moscow has announced three deals totalling 260 million doses with Chinese vaccine companies.

Finance ministers and central bank governors from Asian, China, Japan and South Korea issued a joint statement on Monday, vowing to strengthen regional financial cooperation while providing continued support for countries hit hard by the pandemic.

The US-based polling company Gallup, after surveying 300,000 people across 117 countries, has found that half of those with jobs now earn less because of pandemic disruptions. It comes to a figure of 1.6 billion adults globally.

REUTERS People attend an experimental music concert as part of a government-backed research programme assessing the risk of Covid-19 transmission in Liverpool, UK.