The number of Australians in India who are deemed vulnerable has increased from 600 to 900 in the past week, Australia's High Commissioner to India has revealed.
Barry O'Farrell told SBS News demand for consular support has been in "overdrive" that makes it a crime for Australian citizens to travel home from India.
The number of Australians stranded in the country who are registered with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) has remained around 9,000 .
But Mr O'Farrell said the number who are listed as "vulnerable" has spiralled.
"Disturbingly over the past week, we've seen the total number registered stay pretty much the same - at 9,000 - but we have seen an increase in the number of vulnerables from just over 600 to around 900," he said.
The travel measures came into effect on Monday, making it a criminal offence for anyone who has been in India in the past 14 days to enter Australia.
It means Australian citizens and residents failing to comply with the emergency determination face a $66,600 fine or five-year jail term.
The policy is in place until 15 May, when it will be reviewed.
The government has described the measures as a "temporary pause" designed to ease pressure on the nation's quarantine system following an
But it has been widely condemned as unfair and heavy-handed by some members of the Indian-Australian community and human rights advocates.
- which the government denies - given no such measures were put in place for the United States, Britain or parts of Europe during bad coronavirus outbreaks there.
Mr O’Farrell said the travel suspension has created uncertainty, which has in turn placed significant strain on consular services supporting Australians in India.
High Commissioner to India Barry O'Farrell speaks with SBS News. Source: SBS News
“We are not turning anyone away,” he said.
“But the problem is our phone system, our email system and other forms of communication … since the announcement of the pause have been in overdrive.”
He said consular services do not collect figures on the number of people who have contracted COVID-19, but that those registered as vulnerable may include people who have.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison on Wednesday , but pressure continues to mount on the government to come up with a plan to return Australians home.
Mr O’Farrell said calls for consular support services to consider delivering vaccinations to people in India could pose logistical challenges, with Australians being spread across the country.
“I just make the point that we’ll do, as usual, whatever the government wants us to do,” he said.
“But the 9,000 Australians registered with DFAT, including the 900 who are vulnerable, don’t all live in those four cities where we have posts.”
Immigration Minister Alex Hawke has also begun holding roundtable meetings with the Indian-Australian community, in response to concerns around the travel measures.
“There’s a lot of understanding about the difficult measure we’ve had to take to temporarily ban flights,” Mr Hawke told SBS News.
“The government will keep working with the Australian-Indian community about identifying vulnerable people and getting those repatriation flights ready to resume in a safe way for Australia.”
The decision to make it a crime for Australian citizens to travel home from India
Mr O’Farrell said he understands the concerns of those who unable to return home.
“We particularly understand the anxiety of those 900 who are classified as vulnerable. We are all looking forward to those flights resuming, hopefully in mid May," he said.
India as the total number of infections passed 20 million.
Australia has started sending emergency supplies to help the country’s health system deal with the COVID-19 outbreak, including oxygen containers, masks and respirators.
"This second wave as I’ve said before [is] more a tsunami than a ripple," Mr O'Farrell said.
"The assistance and support being provided by Australia and other countries is certainly welcomed."
