Former Australian cricketer Michael Slater has accused Prime Minister Scott Morrison of having “blood on his hands”, as COVID-19 cases surge in India.
Key points:
In a post on Twitter, Slater, who was in India as a broadcaster for the Indian Premier League (IPL), said the federal government was neglecting Australians who cannot return home because of the current travel ban.
Flights from India have been banned until at least May 15, with the government introducing penalties including five-year in jail for anyone trying to enter Australia from the COVID-ravaged country.
You cannot enter Australia if you have been in India in the previous 14-days.
The broadcaster has reportedly flown to the Maldives to escape the worsening situation in India.
On Monday night, Slater accused the federal government of neglecting their own citizens by enforcing a ban that left Australians trapped in a dangerous situation.
“If our Government cared for the safety of Aussies they would allow us to get home. It’s a disgrace,” he wrote.
“I had government permission to work on the IPL but I now have government neglect.
“Blood on your hands PM.”
Slater followed up his post two hours later, after being criticised by some on Twitter for leaving Australia during a pandemic.
He said he left for work and was now not being paid.
“This is what I do for a living and I have not made a penny having left (India) early,” he wrote.
“So please stop the abuse and think of the thousands dying in India each day.
“It’s called empathy. If only our government had some.”
Reuters
Slater also took aim at the federal government for criminalising entry into the country for citizens instead of focusing on its quarantine systems.
Two players in the IPL tested positive to COVID-19 last weekend, forcing the match between Kolkata Knight Riders and Royal Challengers Bangalore.
Kolkata’s Varun Chakravarthy and Sandeep Warrier test positive for the virus, sending their team into isolation.
All other members of the team, including Australia’s test vice-captain Pat Cummins, have returned negative test results.
Some cricketers have left India to escape the worsening situation.
Australians David Warner, Andrew Tye, Adam Zampa and New Zealander Kane Richardson, all landed in Australia last week.
These players arrived in Australia via Qatar, before the blanket ban on travellers who were in India within the previous 14-days.
‘It’s not a permanent pause,’ Morrison says
In an interview on Channel 7 on Tuesday morning, the Prime Minister said the measures taken by his government were not permanent and were in the best interests of the Australian public.
“Well, I’d just ask them, like the many Australians that are in India at present, to be patient and understanding,” he said.
“This is a two-week pause, it’s not a permanent pause, it’s not a four-month lockdown.
“What we are seeking to do here is ensure that Australia doesn’t get a third wave of COVID across the country.”
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