Aussie docs urge Morrison to roll back jail order for India returnees
Melbourne, May 4
The Australian Medical Association on Tuesday requested PM Scott Morrison and Health Minister Greg Hunt to immediately withdraw the threat of a jail term and fine to Australians trying to return home from India, saying it has caused a lot of distress in the community.
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 (USD 50,899). Australian Medical Association president Omar Khorshid said the association was supportive of the pause on flights from India, so that the country’s hotel quarantine system can be readied for the increased risk. “But the announcement from the government has caused a lot of distress in our community… and in particular members of our Indian medical community who have been distressed with this announcement,” he said. — PTI
