COVID-19: Direct Flights from India suspended

Australia is suspending direct flights between Australia and India for the next 3 weeks – so that is through to 15 May.

This is likely to affect repatriation flights due to arrive in Darwin, and scheduled flights to Sydney.

Flights from India that transit via Doha, Dubai, Kuala Lumpur and Singapore have already been suspended by those countries.

This action has been caused by the extraordinary rates of infection occuring in India at the moment – 323,144 today, and the recent community transmission within a quarantine hotel in Perth, and Premier Mark McGown’s blame shifting slightly hysterical reaction.

AID

Australia is also sending aid to india including ventilators, a million surgical masks, surgican glowns, goggles gloves and face shields. The Australian government will also assist with the procurement of a 100 oxygen concentrators.

2PAXfly Takeout

I love digital, except when my phone dies, which happened to me on the last night of my recent visit to New Zealand

This is unfortunate but probably necessary. Indian Australians attempting to return will be devastated, and who wouldn’t want to get out of India at the moment.

There really is a very good argument to fully use the Howard Springs facility outside Darwing, and to set up a facility to deal with a quarantine probem that doesn’t look like it is going away any time soon.