Australia carries out first repatriation flight from India after travel ban
Halt on air travel
AustraliacarriedoutitsfirstrepatriationflightfromIndiaaftertemporarilybanning alltravelfromthe COVID-ravaged country last month, the government said, with 80 passengers arriving in Darwin on SaturdayfromNew Delhi.
Passengers had to show two negative COVID-19 tests before boarding the government-backed Qantasflightand were taken upon arrival to a converted mining camp in Howard Springs in the Northern Territory for a two-week quarantine.
TheAustralian government came under fire for temporarily barring alltravelto andfromIndialast month, a policy that drew heavy criticismfromlawmakers, expatriates and theIndian diaspora.
A total of 70 passengers were barredfromboarding theflighton Fridayafterthey or their close contacts tested positive for the coronavirus.
"We are following the medical advice and ensuring that we protectAustralians here and I'm pleased that thatfirstflighthas arrived, and obviously there will be moreflights to come," Treasurer Josh Frydenberg said in a televised briefing.
"It's important to do the testing that we are doing right now, before people come on those planes toAustralia. That's the process we are following, and we will continue to follow."
Two more RoyalAustralian Air Forcerepatriationflights to the Northern Territory are scheduled this month, with about1,000 people planned to return by the end of June. About9,000Australians inIndiahave registered with the federal government, requesting to return home.
The government aims to more than double the capacity of the quarantine facility in Howard Springs, 25 km (16 miles) southeast of the city of Darwin, so that it can cope with the arrival of 2,000 people every two weeksfromJune.
Indiahas reported more than 300,000 infections a day over the past three weeks, overwhelming its health care system and leaving many withouthospital beds, oxygen and adequate treatment.
By contrast,Australiahas been one of the world's most successful countries in curbing the pandemic, with snap lockdowns, border closures and swift contact-tracing. It has reported just under 29,950 coronavirus infections and 910 COVID-19 deaths since the pandemic started.