The Australian government will organise eight repatriation flights over the next fortnight from India. An estimated 11,000 Australians are still trying to leave India.
ABC reports that, in a statement the Department of foreign affairs has said that NSW, Victoria, Queensland, South Australia and Western Australia have indicated they will assist by receiving passengers from India. This support will help increase the number of flights, with eight scheduled by the end of next week.
A full planeload of Australians in India departed from Delhi on Sunday after they all tested negative for COVID-19, in contrast to a week ago when 70 passengers were not allowed to board and just 80 of the available 150 seats were filled on the first flight since resumption.
The Qantas flight took off from New Delhi at 12.35 am Sunday AEST and landed in the Northern Territory around 10 am (AEST).
Passengers will remain in quarantine for two weeks at the Howard Springs facility. Around 80 Australians who arrived on the first repatriation flight last weekend are also there in quarantine.
India is still battling with the deadly second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, with over 4,000 deaths a day and over 250,000 new cases daily. The South Asian country has lost almost 300,000 lives to COVID-19 since the pandemic began.
A total of 4,194 people were reported dead on Saturday as the infection is now spreading in rural areas. Many experts believe that the actual number of cases and deaths is higher than what is being reported.
NRI Affairs News Desk
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