Australia bans direct passenger flights from India till May 15

NEW DELHI: Australia on Tuesday announced a temporary ban on direct passenger flights from India following a massive surge in coronavirus infections.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the suspension would remain in place until at least May 15 due to “clearly present” risks of travel from India, leaving thousands of Australians stranded.

India’s new coronavirus cases stayed above 300,000 for a sixth consecutive day on Tuesday. It reported 2,771 new deaths, but health experts believe the tally is significantly higher.

Last week, Australia had announced that it would cut the number of its citizens able to return from India and other red-zone countries to contain the risk of more virulent strains of Covid spreading.