Highlights
- Australia updates travel advisory for India as COVID-19 cases surge
- Australian Government rules out travel bubble with India
- New Zealand suspends travel from India due to a surge in COVID cases among returning travellers
In the latest travel advisory issued on April 7, the government has warned Australians planning to travel to India or already travelling or living there about the serious health risks from the COVID-19 pandemic, following a high number of positive coronavirus cases being reported in the country.
'Do not go overseas: A travel ban is in place. Exemptions apply'
‘COVID-19 infection numbers are increasing rapidly across India. Night-time curfews have been imposed in some major cities to curb transmission. Penalties may be imposed if you breach the curfews. The ban on international commercial flights remains in place. Monitor media and follow the advice of local authorities,’ states the government’s .
As per the current travel restrictions, there's a ban on overseas travel from Australia. Citizens and permanent residents can’t leave Australia unless they have an exemption from the Department of Home Affairs or are travelling to a destination that is exempt from the ban.
Australia may set up travel bubbles with low-risk countries:
The new travel guidelines coincided with New Zealand's decision to allow quarantine-free travel for Australians from April 19, turning attention to other potential countries that could be next on the list for future COVID travel corridors.
Federal Tourism Minister Dan Tehan said, “Singapore would be a very good next step to build on what we have already achieved with New Zealand,” but he cautioned that there’s nothing locked in yet.
Air New Zealand and Qantas planes at Auckland International Airport. Source: Getty Images
"But we'll take our time, we'll work that through, and we'll make sure that we have got the expert medical advice backing our assessment that that is the way that we should proceed."
Besides Singapore, the government has also singled out other countries with low COVID-19 numbers, including Japan, Vietnam and South Korea, as possibilities for establishing safe travel zones.
On Tuesday, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said while other low-risk countries are under consideration, “we are not in a position to move forward on any of those" at this stage.
Will India be on the list?
At a time when India is witnessing a dramatic spike in COVID-19 cases, Federal Education Minister Alan Tudge said a travel bubble between the two countries is currently out of the question.
“The other mechanism (to allow travel) is that if there are bubble arrangements which we would have with other countries, now I think it’s going to be difficult with India though simply because it’s such a large country and virus has been relatively broadly transmitted,” Mr Tudge said during a ‘Study in Australia’ webinar organised by the Australia India Business Council (AIBC) on March 25.
Brisbane-based mechanical engineer Naveen Kapoor who has been desperately waiting to travel to India to get married to his long-time girlfriend, said India should be on the list of potential countries for travel zones considering its “massive immunisation drive.”
Education Minister Alan Tudge at Parliament House in Canberra Source: AAP
“India is a top source of new citizens for Australia, many of whom haven’t seen their families, in some cases partners, children and aged parents in over a year,” the 28-year-old said.
“While I understand this isn’t the right time, but Australia must consider such arrangements with India in months to come once the vaccination picks up pace. Nearly 80 million doses have already been administered to Indian nationals so far, it's expected that at least 250 million people will be covered by July,” he added.
Associate Professor Holly Seale from the University of New South Wales School of Population Health warned that while vaccination drives are picking up pace around the globe, many factors need to be considered before considering travel corridors.
“We don’t want to get into a situation where we as Australians start travelling to countries in our region, including those that don’t have the health system that Australia is fortunate to have. We wouldn’t want to put undue stress on international settings that can’t cope with any variations in COVID numbers,” Dr Seale said.
NZ suspends travel from India:
New Zealand has temporarily suspended entry for all travellers from India, including its own citizens, until April 28, following a high number of positive cases among returning travellers. The ban will come into force on 11 April.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced the travel ban on Thursday after 17 of the 23 new cases were recorded in travellers from India.
New Zealand suspends travel from India until 28 April. Source: Phil Walter/Getty Images
“I want to emphasize that while arrivals of COVID from India has prompted this measure, we are looking at how we manage high-risk points of departure generally. This is not a country-specific risk assessment,” Ms Ardern said.
People in Australia must stay at least 1.5 meters away from others.
Testing for coronavirus is now widely available across Australia. If you are experiencing cold or flu symptoms, arrange a test by calling your doctor or contact the Coronavirus Health Information Hotline on 1800 020 080.
The federal government's coronavirus tracing app COVIDSafe is available for download from your phone's app store.
SBS is committed to informing Australia’s diverse communities about the latest COVID-19 developments.
