International You are Australian and want to return from India? 5 years of jail await you.

[original doom]

Not okay to do this to your own citizens.


Set up Corona hotels for them and force them to quarantine or face jail. To staight up deny them entry is crazy.

why is it crazy ?

 

[original doom]

Yeah I understand having strict travel policies in place, but telling your own citizens they cannot come back even though you have the means to isolate them is crazy. I would not have a problem with the threat per se in case they had some kind of repatriation ongoing (which has not been reported and of which I am not aware).

thats the issue, all these outbreaks are happening because of hotel quarantine.

 

[maximus__]

This is one of the more insane political decisions the past year has seen: denying your own citizens a return to their home country under the threat of multiple years of jail.

I get not wanting to introduce a Coronavirus mutation, but surely there would be alternative solutions like, I don't know, using special air force flights and isolating them after their return?

Coalition condemned for ‘outrageous’ decision to fine or imprison Australians returning from India

https://www.theguardian.com/austral...-or-imprison-australians-returning-from-india

Covid crisis: Australians trying to return home from India face up to $66,000 fine or five years’ jail

https://www.theguardian.com/austral...tizens-to-return-from-covid-ravaged-countries

I live in Australia. There were a number of times throughout the last year where Australians abroad were told to return home or they would not be allowed back in during the height of our covid issues. People stayed overseas in other countries with looser restrictions whilst we were locking down in certain states here. Whilst I don't agree with people getting trapped overseas, a good majority of them are attempting to return here now that India is so severely affected.

I personally think you should let them in via quarantine , but there is more to this than they are making out. Many of these people went to India whilst the lockdowns were occurring here and now want to return were it is better. it will be the same if it opens here and India becomes better. IMO you should be able to do that once you go through quarantine, but they aren't equipped to do that sort of thing yet and everytime they do, covid ends up back in the community.

 

[Oceanmachine]

why is it crazy ?

They are your country men. Send them to quarantine hotels but to deny them at this point is bad to me

 

[maximus__]

Not okay to do this to your own citizens.


Set up Corona hotels for them and force them to quarantine or face jail. To staight up deny them entry is crazy.

It's already being done. It's how it keeps making it out into the population.
People leave their rooms, cleaners miss stuff and workers at the hotel contract the virus before going home. Apparently India has another new variant so they are apprehensive to import that over here and share it in the community.

Many of these citizens hold dual citizenships and it's not like anyone was forced to go to India by the government. I agree they should be able to return though.

 

[Oceanmachine]

It's already being done. It's how it keeps making it out into the population.
People leave their rooms, cleaners miss stuff and workers at the hotel contract the virus before going home. Apparently India has another new variant so they are apprehensive to import that over here and share it in the community.

Many of these citizens hold dual citizenships and it's not like anyone was forced to go to India by the government. I agree they should be able to return though.

India does not have dual citizenship

What other citizenship do they have? Russia, Israel, have handled corona well and allow citizens to return. You just seem a establishment type and are justifying a draconian measure

 

[The XL]

Their is not one country in the world that is a democracy where the majority has a say and the rights of the minority are protected. Every one of them has a ruling class that does what they wish with impunity.

 

[D3thr0n3d K1ng]

Oz doesnt fuck around when it comes to covid. But then that's why they've have fewer cases.

 

[irish_thug]

Thank you Australia, for making Canada look reasonable.

 

[Telford90]

Thank you Australia, for making Canada look reasonable.

He says as his country still has insanely high COVID rates and periodic economic shut-downs.

Meanwhile the only place I have to wear a mask is the airport and everywhere else is back to normal.

 

[irish_thug]

He says as his country still has insanely high COVID rates and periodic economic shut-downs.

Meanwhile the only place I have to wear a mask is the airport and everywhere else is back to normal.

Shutting the borders was absolutely the right thing to do, something my country still hasn't figured out. But jailing your citizen's for returning home?

 

[Arkain2K]

Well, so far the measures have been very successful in keeping community spread down to a minimum, despite a couple of outbreaks from these quarantine hotels. If they were increased in number and processing rate, obviously that risk increases. There's been a lot of questioning over whether having these quarantine hotels in urban centres is at all smart, considering how quickly outbreaks will spread. Not a lot of suitable existing rural facilities of course, with the federal quarantine facility in the NT being in a disused mining camp.
When the states first introduced the hotel quarantines, and they weren't enough to meet the demands of repatriation, the Government capped the number of planes coming in to provide for 7000 per week. That was early last year and it was supposed to be temporary while quarantine provisions expanded.
There has been almost no expansion though (in fact that cap number was lowered when there were outbreaks in Melbourne).
The Federal provision in the NT was also supposed to expand (from 850 per fortnight to 2000), but apparently cyclones have had that on pause.
It doesn't help that the immunisation program has also been crawling along behind schedule (to be fair our lack of infection makes Australia a relatively low priority for the available vaccines), and that's a federal program.
If we had another outbreak due to the lack of quarantine facilities (due to state vs federal funding disputes) exacerbated by the slow immunisation program, I think Morrison would be hard pressed to get re-elected.

Is there any real reason for Australia not using Christmas Island as a big quarantine zone for their returning citizens?

I mean, the facilities are already there, there is enough land to hold a lot more than 9,000 people, and quarantine breaches would be significantly harder than jumping over a hotel wall.

 

[Ruprecht]

Shutting the borders was absolutely the right thing to do, something my country still hasn't figured out. But jailing your citizen's for returning home?

If you were familiar with Dutton as the minister for Home Affairs, you wouldn't be at all surprised.
Despite failing to increase quarantine capacity, they have been organising flights home. Problem is that after the initial offering and quarantines those repatriated have had to cover their flights and quarantine costs.
They aren't cheap. Some families have been quoting $70-120K AUD.
So they haven't always been able to fill those flights despite the @35,000 registered as wanting to return.
Of course with the emerging crisis in India the cost/benefit of that financial equation might change for many.

 

[Ruprecht]

Is there any real reason for Australia not using Christmas Island as a big quarantine zone for their returning citizens?

I mean, the facilities are already there, there is enough land to hold a lot more than 9,000 people, and quarantine breaches would be significantly harder than jumping over a hotel wall.

There aren't really medical facilities there. They did use it for the initial evacuees from Wuhan, but the numbers it could handle would only be hundreds and the cost is significantly higher. It didn't make financial sense to run it as a refugee detention centre either (medical flights to Australia were costing us $100K a pop), it was more a political point.
Not to mention it's currently being used for criminals awaiting deportation.

 

[skold]

You probably should've returned a year ago
Each time Australia lets people come back they get a new covid outbreak

 

[Telford90]

Shutting the borders was absolutely the right thing to do, something my country still hasn't figured out. But jailing your citizen's for returning home?

Completely reasonable if you understand the context. These people have had ages to return home, but chose not to. Unfortunately they carry too much risk of a new mutation to the greater population to allow it.

 

[original doom]

They are your country men. Send them to quarantine hotels but to deny them at this point is bad to me

hotels arent any sort of guarentee. no one wants them back during an outbreak, they want them too stay in india. they are indians anyway so whats the big deal.

the same applies to any australians who have decided to remain in foreign countries and then suddenly they need to return during a deadly outbreak. its extremely selfish and potentially deadly behaviour.

 

[Ruprecht]

hotels arent any sort of guarentee. no one wants them back during an outbreak, they want them too stay in india. they are indians anyway so whats the big deal.

the same applies to any australians who have decided to remain in foreign countries and then suddenly they need to return during a deadly outbreak. its extremely selfish and potentially deadly behaviour.

That might be true for those that just registered with DFAT to return as a result of the Indian outbreak, but you realise there's still thousands left worldwide that registered last year that haven't been able to get back despite the promises made last year they'd be back by Christmas?

 

[original doom]

You probably should've returned a year ago
Each time Australia lets people come back they get a new covid outbreak

exactly people need to undersrand this every single outbreak has happened because of people flying in from covid hotspots.

 

[original doom]

That might be true for those that just registered with DFAT to return as a result of the Indian outbreak, but you realise there's still thousands left worldwide that registered last year that haven't been able to get back despite the promises made last year they'd be back by Christmas?

yes i have heard of this situation but im not sure how big of an issue it is. what should have already been decided on is construction of a facility whether it be on an island or somewhere remote and isolated where all the returnees can go.