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Australian Prime Minister Morrison (left) with the country's top health advisor, Paul Kelly
Photo: DAVID GRAY / imago images / AAP
Australia is known for its strict corona policy.
The country responds to comparatively few cases of infection with strict lockdowns.
Now the government of Prime Minister Scott Morrison wants to take back another drastic measure: the recently introduced entry ban for compatriots from India.
The entry ban for returnees from India is expected to be lifted on May 15, said Morrison.
Then the goal of the measure would be achieved, an extension would probably no longer be necessary.
In view of the rapid spread of the corona virus in India, the government in Canberra issued an entry ban for its own citizens a week ago - under threat of imprisonment of up to five years for violations.
The government's absolute travel ban and, in particular, the threat of imprisonment and fines in the event of violations were the subject of much criticism.
Opponents complained that the prime minister was abandoning its own citizens.
Australia's tourism minister had recently announced that the borders might not fully open again until 2022.
Returnees should initially come with three flights
Morrison has now announced that initially three return flights are planned "for the most urgent cases".
The machines would land in the Northern Territory region, where Australian citizens coming from India are also supposed to spend the quarantine.
For days, India has been recording global highs in new corona infections.
Most recently, the mark was more than 400,000 new cases within 24 hours.
However, the number of unreported cases is likely to be significantly higher.
The situation is getting worse because many hospitals are running out of medical oxygen.
fek / dpa