ScoMo Thinks India Travel Ban Isn’t Racist Because We Did The Same To China Last Year
Meanwhile, 9000 Aussies can't get back home.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison has defended his plan to halt flights from India into Australia from today, as not racist.
“This is about health,” he responded to 2GB’s Ray Hadley on Monday. “The same accusations were made against the government over a year ago when we closed the borders to mainland China.
The difference between his example however, is that this time, Australians will be penalised for trying to get home.
An initial and extended travel ban from mainland China in February last year still allowed citizens, permanent residents and their immediate family to enter the country if they self-isolated for a fortnight.
The India-Australia travel ban, in place from 12.01am this morning, will see anyone in breach facing five years in jail or a $66,000 fine until Saturday, May 15.
It’s believed to be the first time Australia has threatened criminal punishment against its own citizens coming into the country.
There are currently an estimated 9,000 Australians still in India at the moment during a deadly Coronavirus surge that has seen 19.5 million cases and over 215,000 deaths.
if Scott Morrison had us all home by Christmas, AS HE PROMISED, there would not be 9,000 Aussies trapped in India.
— 🧚♀️🏖alikat🐬🧜🏽♀️ (@iallikat) May 3, 2021
The announcement comes as the Morrison Government is being challenged on the effectiveness of its hotel quarantine policy, and whether specifically-made facilities are a safer, long-term alternative.
“The percentage of cases that are appearing in our quarantine from people who have arrived back from having been in India go from 10 percent to 50 percent,” the Prime Minister said on air today.
“We’ve seen a sevenfold increase in the rate of infection of those in our Howard Springs facility coming back from India.”
So let me get this straight-Australian CITIZENS will be fined and jailed if they return from India because @LiberalAus hasn’t gotten their act together on quarantine. You’ve had 15 months. The differential treatment is racist, immoral and disgraceful @MarisePayne @ScottMorrisonMP
— Dr Rebecca Saunderson FACD (@dr_saunderson) May 2, 2021
Parallels have been drawn between the government’s handling of the UK, European and US pandemic waves, where commercial flights have been available since last year, instead opting for arrival caps that have caused delays for stranded citizens trying to return home.
It absolutely IS racist that people flying to Australia from India could face up to five years jail. When the US, Italy, the UK, and Spain were seeing horrifying numbers, at no point was a punitive response considered. One rule for people of colour, another for white people.
— Néha Madhok 🏳️🌈 (@MadhokNeha) April 30, 2021
Once here, international travellers have had to quarantine in a designated facility for 14 days unless eligible for an exemption or coming from New Zealand recently.
Outbound international flights from Australia are currently banned.