Australia suspends direct passenger flights from India till May 15

Australia on Tuesday suspended all direct passenger flights from India with fast impact till May 15 as a result of “very significant” spike in COVID-19 circumstances, Prime Minister Scott Morrison introduced. Morrison, saying the momentary border closure with India, additionally launched a direct help bundle for the nation in its struggle towards the continuing coronavirus disaster.

Addressing a press briefing after convening a Cabinet’s nationwide safety committee assembly, he mentioned that the ban on arrivals from India can be reviewed earlier than May 15. ”Today we agreed, along with the measures that I introduced after the final National Cabinet assembly, to pause direct passenger flights between India and Australia till the fifteenth of May,” he mentioned. “We recognise that this has been a very significant outbreak in India,” Morrison mentioned.

The newest transfer would have an effect on direct flights into Sydney and two repatriation flights scheduled to reach in Darwin. The transfer may additionally have an effect on 1000’s of individuals, together with Australian cricketers at the moment taking part in within the Indian Premier League in India. All oblique flights coming from India by way of Singapore, Doha, Dubai and Kuala Lumpur have additionally been paused by their respective governments.

Giving particulars of the aid bundle, Prime Minister Morrison mentioned that Australia will ship a spread of products to India to assist because it struggles with a essential scarcity of medical provides. Australia will ship 500 ventilators, in addition to 1 million surgical masks, 500,000 protecting and surgical masks, goggles and face shields.

”We’re standing with these Australians in India and recognising these severe difficulties they face. “’I stress this is an initial package, there’ll be more to follow,” Morrison mentioned. He mentioned that repatriation flights would resume as quickly as doable with essentially the most weak getting the precedence. “We don’t think the answer is to just forsake those in India and just shut them off. “I do not see this as an issue we’ve to unravel, I see this as a gaggle of individuals we ned to assist. These are Australians and Australian residents who want our assist,” he added. There are about 9,000 Australians in India who’re registered with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade as eager to return dwelling, The Sydney Morning Herald reported.