All direct passenger flights into Australia from India are being suspended until May 15 as the nation deals with an escalating coronavirus catastrophe.
The move, announced by Prime Minister Scott Morrison on Tuesday, will impact two passenger services into Sydney and two repatriation flights into Darwin, involving about 500 people.
“This has been a very significant outbreak in India,” he said.
He said the decision would be reviewed before May 15, but passengers on future flights will need to show a negative result on two different types of COVID-19 tests before they get on board.
Further flights will focus on getting vulnerable Australians back home.
Indirect flights via such ports as Dubai, Singapore and Kuala Lumpur have also been paused.
India has recorded 323,144 new cases in the past 24 hours.
Australia is considering sending oxygen and other medical supplies to India.
There were more than 352,000 new infections on Monday, as the United States, United Kingdom and Germany pledged supplies.
Australia is considering a request for oxygen and is likely to send non-invasive ventilators to India, where the health system is in extreme crisis.
“India is literally gasping for oxygen,” Health Minister Greg Hunt said.
Last week, the Federal Government cut repatriation and direct flight arrivals from India by 30 per cent.
People who have been in India during the past two weeks need to test negative for the disease within three days of boarding a flight to Australia.
Mr Hunt confirmed stopping all flights from India could be an option if health authorities advised the move was necessary.
“If those additional measures are recommended, we will take them with the heaviest of hearts but without any hesitation,” he said.
Meanwhile, West Australians have emerged from a three-day snap lockdown but some restrictions remain in place.
The outbreak scare has been pinned on a man who returned from India after travelling to get married.
Home Affairs Minister Karen Andrews said the man’s travel was approved months ago under the old criteria, which has since been dramatically tightened.
Australia’s vaccine rollout is set to come under further scrutiny with Chief Medical Officer Paul Kelly and Health Department boss Brendan Murphy to face a Senate committee.
The coronavirus response inquiry will also hear from Australian Medical Association president Omar Khorshid and medicines regulator head John Skerritt.
More than 1.93 million vaccine doses have been administered nationally, with Anzac Day public holidays in some parts of the country expected to hamper Monday’s rate.
