The federal government is under fire for an "outrageous" decision to impose fines and jail time on Australians attempting to return home from India amid an escalating coronavirus crisis.
Travellers from India have been blocked from entering Australia until at least May 15, when the decision will be re-assessed.
Indirect routes via Doha, Dubai, Kuala Lumpur and Singapore have also been closed off as the daily tally of cases in India nears 400,000.
Health Minister Greg Hunt says anyone attempting to defy the rules will be hit with fines of up to $66,600, five years in prison or both.
More than 9000 Australians in India are registered as wanting to return, including 650 considered vulnerable.
Three people are being assisted with COVID-19 by consular officials.
The decision is based on the number of positive cases from India detected in the country's quarantine facilities, Mr Hunt says. More than 150 overseas-acquired infections have been reported Australia-wide in the past week, many from India.
"The government does not make these decisions lightly," he said in a statement.
"However, it is critical the integrity of the Australian public health and quarantine systems is protected and the number of COVID-19 cases in quarantine facilities is reduced to a manageable level."
Labor has backed the flight ban as the "right call" but suggested criminalising citizens for trying to return is another story.
Senior MP Jason Clare told the ABC the government should be making it easier for citizens to return.
"It'd be a big call to make it a crime for Australians trying to get home," he said.
"We charted a flight to Wuhan (in China) to get Aussies out and took them to Christmas Island. Why aren't we doing that now?"
Tanya Plibersek said the situation showed Prime Minister Scott Morrison should have set up federal quarantine facilities a year ago.
"The really frustrating thing about this is we are talking about this way too late," she told reporters in Rockhampton.
"India is the most catastrophic example of that.
"Australians everywhere are desperate to get home and Scott Morrison has failed them."
Human Rights Watch's Australia Director Elaine Pearson went a step further, calling the response "outrageous".
"Australians have a right of return to their own country," she said.
Greens Senator Sarah Hanson-Young said on Twitter she was "horrified" that the government would think its decision was acceptable in light of what was a humanitarian crisis.
Treasurer Josh Frydenberg on Saturday defended the move, saying the situation in India was dire and escalating.
More than 200,000 people have died and the country has been setting records each day with the tally of new cases. Hospitals are overwhelmed and oxygen supplies are low.
Asked if it was irresponsible then to leave Australians there and effectively lock them out of their own country, Mr Frydenberg said the measure was drastic but temporary.
"The best thing we can do is get supplies into India, which is what we're doing - ventilators, masks, other PPE equipment," he told reporters.
"We're doing everything we can to support India at this very difficult time (but) we've also got to protect Australians."
More countries may soon receive similar treatment, with Chief Medical Officer Paul Kelly and foreign affairs officials working to compile a list of high-risk countries for consideration.
