Doctors are angry at the Federal Government’s threat to jail Australians returning from India, labelling it as an “over-reaction”, discriminatory and unfair on those who followed the rules. 

From Monday, people who have been in India within the previous fortnight before their intended arrival in Australia will face fines as well as up to five years imprisonment for entering the country.

Melbourne GP Dr Vyom Sharma said passengers from the US or UK were never banned even at the height of COVID-19 waves in those countries when rates of positive cases had been higher than they currently are in India.

“These measures have been a complete over-reaction in a way that I don’t think we would see if we were seeing such a surge happening in other countries,” Dr Sharma told BBC News.