Australia announces total ban on flights from India

Prime Minister Scott Morrison has announced Australia will close its international border to India amid the nation’s escalating COVID-19 situation.

All passenger flights from India have been grounded until mid-May after crunch national security talks, as the country grapples with the world’s worst COVID-19 outbreak.

Cabinet’s powerful national security committee met on Tuesday morning, agreeing to expand restrictions imposed on travel to and from India last week.

The country recorded 352,991 cases in a single day – the worst increase in any country since the pandemic began – as mass cremations sites were established in response to the mounting death toll.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison described the situation on the subcontinent as “truly heartbreaking”, confirming direct flights between India and Australia would be suspended until May 15.

“We share so much in common as peoples, as democratic nations, and we extend our deepest sympathies and condolences and support to the nation of India and the people of India,” he said.

“They are dear friends of Australia. We will stand with them during this terrible crisis, and for all Australians who were caught up in this terrible set of events.”

Indirect flights via Doha, Dubai, Singapore and Kuala Lumpur have also been paused by those countries.

A decision on whether to extend the suspension will be made prior to its expiration.

Nearly 20,000 Australians have returned from India since March last year when the pandemic began.

RELATED: Australia limits arrivals from India over escalating COVID-19 outbreak

Prime Minister Scott Morrison described the situation in India as heartbreaking. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Gary Ramage

Mr Morrison said the “risk continues to grow” in India but rejected suggestions Australians were being abandoned.

“We don’t think the answer is to forsake those Australians in India and just shut them off as some others suggest. That’s not what my government is going to do,” he said.

“We will stand with the Indian community here, and our friends in India, as one of our closest and most strategic partners.”

The Prime Minister said the government would work to restart repatriation flights as soon as possible and it would focus on the most vulnerable.

Foreign Minister Marise Payne revealed 9000 Australians in India were registered with DFAT and consular support would continue.

She said the number looking to return to India had spiked since last week when flights were slashed by a third.

“I expect that to increase but we will stay in close contact with those Australians and provide the support that we are able to,” she said.

The Prime Minister confirmed Australia would also ship medical supplies as part of a beefed-up humanitarian effort to aid India.

The shipments will include one million surgical masks, 500 non-invasive ventilators, along with gloves and goggles.

“Australia has obviously had a very different experience and that places us in a unique position amongst many countries to lend our support the India at this time,” Mr Morrison said.

Mr Morrison also confirmed Australian cricketers in India to compete in the Indian Premier League would not be prioritised for return.

“They’ve travelled there privately … This wasn‘t part of an Australian tour, and they’re under their own resources, and they’ll be using those resources I’m sure to see them returned to Australia,” he said.

Earlier, Labor leader Anthony Albanese described the situation as “desperate” and called for Australia to assist India in “whatever way we can”.

Anthony Albanese says a COVID-19 breakout in one part of the world is a ‘breakout everywhere’. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Jono Searle

Greg Hunt confirmed Australia would consider humanitarian aid to India. Picture: NCA NewsWire / David Geraghty

“A breakout of this virus in one part of the world is a breakout everywhere. It does have an impact,” he told ABC radio.

But Mr Albanese said the outbreak reinforced its view the commonwealth needed to “get quarantine right” and suggested facilities be moved outside of high-density CBDs.

“The government continues to resist because their priority is not accepting political responsibility when breakouts occur,” he said.

Labor foreign affairs spokeswoman Penny Wong said the party backed medical advice, saying Australia was most secure when the virus was brought under control across the whole region.

But she claimed the government had failed to implement a “safe” national quarantine framework.

“As a consequence of not having that system of safe national quarantine, more people are at risk here in Australia and elsewhere,” she said.

WA Premier Mark McGowan on Sunday confirmed arrivals to the state would be halved for at least a month, having plunged Perth into a three-day lockdown over the weekend.

Mr McGowan also called for the federal government to prevent Australians leaving the country, even for weddings or funerals.

India recorded more than 350,000 COVID-19 cases on Sunday as the country’s death toll mounts. Picture: Manjunath Kiran / AFP

Matt Canavan has lashed Mark McGowan as a ‘panic merchant’ over his COVID-19 response. Picture: Sam Mooy / Getty Images

But Nationals senator Matt Canavan lashed Mr McGowan as a “panic merchant” and said flights should continue as the quarantine system had “worked very well”.

“We’ve actually got to grow up here and learn to live with what is going to be a spread of coronavirus around the world for years to come,” he told Sky News on Tuesday.

“Eventually, we will open up to the world, (and) there will be more cases of coronavirus here. Hopefully, at that point, most people are vaccinated and the risks aren’t as great.

“But we’ve got to learn to live with this.”

Mr Hunt said Australia was in a position to send non-invasive ventilators to the subcontinent as India’s death toll spirals.

Mr Hunt said New Delhi had also requested oxygen supplies, with India “literally gasping for air”.

Senator Canavan said there was only a “very remote possibility” sending ventilators overseas would leave Australia short.

He described India as the “medicine factory of the world” and said New Delhi had exported supplies throughout the pandemic.

“There’s no imminent risk here,” Senator Canavan said.

“There is an obligation on us here to return that favour. We’re in a comfortable position, we should be helping countries that are worse impacted.”