Over 100 barred from returning as Australia resumes repatriation flights from India
Almost half of the total number of stranded Australians who were to fly home from India have now been barred from returning.
FollowThe repatriation flights facilitated by the Australian government for its stranded citizens in India resumed from today, Australia's Foreign Minister Marise Payne said.
However, among the 150 people who were to fly out of New Delhi for Australia on a repatriation flight, over 40 people tested positive for Covid-19. The passengers have now been taken off the flyers' list for the flight on Saturday.
Australia has started repatriation flights from India for its stranded citizens in the country amid a deadly spread of Covid-19 cases in the country. While over 40 have tested positive for Covid, another 70 who were in close contact have also been barred from flying.
Payne said that a flight today departed from Sydney to pick up Australian passengers in New Delhi before arriving back in Darwin on Saturday.
The plane arrived with life-saving oxygen equipment to India to support its Covid-19 response, she said.
Payne said the passengers would have to undergo a strict quarantine to make sure they are not carrying the variant of the coronavirus first identified in India.
"These passengers will quarantine at the Centre for National Resilience at Howard Springs in the Northern Territory," she said, adding all passengers would undergo PCR and Rapid Antigen Testing before they travel.
This would be the first flight after the Australian government imposed a temporary ban recently with a threat of criminal sanctions, including five years in jail and fines of up to 66,000 Australian dollars for people who try to return from India.
These government-facilitated flights will be focused on returning Australian citizens, residents and families who have registered with our High Commission and consular offices within India and will prioritise the most vulnerable people.
The next government-facilitated commercial flight from India is expected to arrive in Darwin on May 23rd and arrangements for further facilitated flights into Australia are underway.
Australia has now delivered over 15 tonnes of medical supplies to India, including over 2,000 ventilators and more than 100 oxygen concentrators.
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