A bunch of Australian cricketers arrived in Sydney from Maldives where they were staying after fleeing the Covid crisis in India.
Players and staff were taking part in the Indian Premier League which was suspended this month.
They flew to the Maldives after Australia banned all flights coming from India following an increase in Covid cases.
Mandatory Quarantine
Even when the controversial ban was lifted on May 15, thousands of Australians were left stranded in India.
Cricket players – among them former Australian captain Steve Smith, David Warner and Pat Cummins – are now completing a 14-day stay in Sydney.
A group of more than 30 people flew in a private plane from the Maldives where they have been staying since May 6.
Cricket Australia had previously said players and staff would not seek special exemptions from the government, as Australia was reducing the number of foreign arrivals allowed each week.
Government’s Controversial Travel Ban
Prime Minister Scott Morrison said on Sunday that cricket players would return “under their own steam… they won’t be taking the spot in quarantine of any other Australian who is returning home under the New South Wales caps.”
However, their arrival comes amid growing frustration with the Australian government over Indian borders and the citizens’ grief attached there.
Earlier this month the government said high levels of Covid infection were seen in people arriving from India, where there was the worst outbreak of the virus in the world, placing a heavy burden on health services. To protect the community, block foreign arrivals.
The controversial travel ban – which included the threat of fines and prison sentences for returning citizens – was lifted on May 15.
Australians Stranded In India
There are about 10,000 Australians left in India. Although the ban has been lifted, those who want to return home – including about 1,000 who are listed as endangered – have a few options available.
The government has begun to operate repatriation flights to bring home citizens.
The first of these flights arrived on Saturday but was empty, after 70 passengers were barred from traveling following a positive Covid inspection.
Repatriation Flights
Strict rules in the pre-flight inspection meant that there was not enough time for seats to be given to others waiting to return.
The second flight was to pick up 150 Australians on Monday but many have asked for more Australian support in India. Critics want the government to allow more commercial airlines to fly from India to Australia.
Australia is one of the few places in the world where there is no widespread public distribution of Covid-19.
The country has been able to stem the tide of international outbreaks by tightly regulating borders and segregation, and by periodically tightening snap closures.
