ER
AUSTRALIA will consider a proposal on Tuesday (27/4) to suspend flights from India to prevent the entry of a more virulent variant of the corona virus, following a spike in positive cases of COVID-19 in the world’s second most populous country.
The state of Queensland has urged the federal government to stop all flights from India due to the high risk of a potential outbreak of COVID-19 from a highly contagious variant of the virus in the country’s hotel quarantine system.
“I sent a letter to the Prime Minister at the end of last week asking for the suspension of flights coming from India and I know that the federal government is considering it today,” Head of Government Annastacia Palaszczuk told Australian Broadcasting Corp on Tuesday (27/4).
Australia’s national security committee will meet on Tuesday evening to consider stopping flights from India and will also uncover measures including sending medical supplies to help India, Australian media reported.
The prime minister’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the report. Last week, Australia announced it would cut the number of its citizens who could return from India and other red zone countries to stem the risk of the spread of the more virulent COVID-19 virus.
India has ordered its armed forces to help tackle the COVID-19 crisis. Meanwhile, various countries including Britain, Germany and the United States have pledged emergency medical assistance to try to cope with the state of emergency that has plagued hospitals in that country.
On Monday (26/4), India reported more than 352,000 new cases of COVID-19, a global record for an increase in daily cases for the fifth day in a row, surpassing even the United States at the height of last year’s pandemic. More than 2,800 deaths were recorded over the past 24 hours, an all-time high.
Australia closed its borders to non-citizens and permanent residents last March to prevent the new corona virus from reaching the country. All returning travellers must undergo a mandatory two-week hotel quarantine at their own expense.
The quarantine system has largely helped Australia keep the number of COVID-19 relatively low, with just under 29,700 cases and 910 deaths. [antaranews/photo special]
