Australian PM defends ban on citizens returning from coronavirus-hit India

'We're all just working to do what's right for the health interests of Australians,' Scott Morrison says

Prime Minister Scott Morrison has defended banning Australian citizens from returning from India, amid criticism by human rights groups that the government’s threat to punish breaches with fines of roughly $50,000 and five years imprisonment is heavy-handed.

“We’re all just working to do what’s right for the health interests of Australians,” Morrison said in a radio interview on Monday, adding that he implemented the ban on the basis of advice from his health officials. “We’re deeply, deeply concerned about the humanitarian crisis in India.”

As infections surge in countries such as India, where daily cases topped 400,000 for the first