Australian Open: Two players' tests comeback positive for virus

Two players who have travelled to Melbourne to play the upcoming Australian Open have tested positive for Covid-19 according to the Victorian state officials. The players have not been named yet.

In their health bulletin released on Tuesday, the Victorian health department stated that three people had tested positive for the novel virus. The three people, according to Brett Sutton, the state’s Chief Health Officer, are two men in the 30s and a woman who is in her 20s. One person among the trio is part of the tennis entourage. All three people are reported to be quarantining in the hotel.

Sutton also negated the possibility of there being an early release from quarantine for some players whose Covid-19 positive tests were confirmed to be instances of the virus’ shedding rather than active infection. “While two cases of viral shedding were confirmed yesterday, this does not change (the) broader assessment of the player group in hotel quarantine. As yet, none of the three affected flights have been cleared as a result of the two reclassified cases,” Sutton noted.

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Tennis Australia, however, tried to downplay these concerns. Craig Tiley, TA’s Chief Executive said, “…There have been some players on the viral shedding list. Again, I’ll have to leave it to Quarantine Victoria to give those numbers. They’re not big numbers. It’s a few. As far as [players] testing positive and going to the medi-hotel – no, none.”

Meanwhile, players have continued to demonstrate their anger about the official regulations vis-à-vis quarantine. But there has also been an outpouring of support for the organisers from some corners of the playing community.

So far, 72 players are in quarantine in Melbourne after a few passengers in the specially chartered flights coming from Los Angeles, Abu Dhabi and Doha tested positive for the virus upon landing in Melbourne. As a result, the players who were in these flights have had to enter a mandatory quarantining period of 14 days.

Recently, world no. 1 Novak Djokovic wrote to Tennis Australia asking for certain requirements to be fulfilled for these players quarantining in Melbourne. While his demands were rejected by the state authorities, the eight-time Australian Open champion was also berated for his insensitivity about the situation. Djokovic’s rival Nick Kyrgios, too, criticised the Serbian heavily for his statements. Djokovic, however, found support in Tiley who said that the 17-time Grand Slam champion wasn't trying to make demands. 

The 2021 Australian Open was been rescheduled and will be played from 8th-21st February instead of its usual January start on account of the pandemic’s unrelenting march.

from Tennis World USA https://ift.tt/3sAGaxL