Australia PM defends ban on citizens flying from India

Meanwhile, Austria sees relaxation in lockdown rules. Pic/AFP

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 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 or a fine of 66,000 Australian dollars.

Critics, including medical experts and legal groups, called the move extreme and disproportionate to the health risks. Federal Greens Senator Mehreen Faruqi tweeted that the measures were "horrific and racist".

Calling a temporary arrangement, the PM said, "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 said that he feels terribly for the Indian community. "We've seen a seven-fold increase in the rate of infection of those in our Howard Springs facility coming back from India," he said.

Now, Nepal bans all flights to fight virus

Nepal banned domestic flights from Monday midnight and international flights from Wednesday midnight until May 14 as part of its efforts to check the spread of infection. Nepal has also made quarantine mandatory for everyone arriving in the country.

Khosla pledges $10mn for India

Indian-origin billionaire businessman Vinod Khosla has pledged $10 million for supplying medical oxygen to hospitals in India amidst an unprecedented COVID second wave. "We need to do a lot more urgently," tweeted the 66-year-old venture capitalist.

7,17,142
No. of new cases reported globally in the past 24 hours

15,29,92,477
Total no. of cases worldwide

32,05,000
Total no. of deaths worldwide

Source: WHO/Johns Hopkins