Australia announces heavy penalty for illegally exporting essential medical supplies

The Australian government on April 1 announced that it will impose heavy fines on those convicted of illegally importing medical supplies out of the country. According to reports, the hefty fines will be imposed on violators under the newly invoked biosecurity laws. Australia's Home Minister Peter Dutton's office explained that the new fine is part of the already issued emergency measures to tackle the coronavirus outbreak in the country. 

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Peter Dutton's office said that the new measure was adopted by the government to keep the diminishing medical supplies within the country's border amid growing shortages in the international market. As per reports, the new act will allow customs officials to keep a check on the export and stop exploitative export of any essential items. Dutton's office said that those found guilty of violating the Biosecurity Act could face up to five years in prison and a fine of up to 63,000 Australian dollars ($38,480). 

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Peter Dutton is one of the 5,137 coronavirus positive cases in Australia. According to reports, there are currently 4,767 active COVID-19 cases in the country, of which 50 patients remain under critical condition. There have been 25 deaths due to coronavirus in Australia, while 345 people have been treated successfully so far. 

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Coronavirus outbreak

COVID-19 has claimed more than 48,000 lives across the world and has infected over 9,49,000 people globally since it first broke out in December 2019. China was the most affected country until last week before Italy and Spain surpassed it to record the most number of deaths anywhere in the world due to COVID-19. The United States and France are on the verge of overtaking China in terms of the number of deaths recorded in these countries. The virus is believed to have originated from a seafood market in China's Wuhan city, the epicentre of the disease, where animals were reportedly being traded illegally.

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(Image Credit: AP)