All players and staff already participating in the tournament must be vaccinated or must be exempted by an independent expert committee, warns BBC.
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According to the organizers, the defending champions did not receive any special treatment. However, Australians, some of whom still cannot travel fully freely, are loudly criticizing them. Like the local politicians and Novak Djokovic himself.
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According to Australian Open director Craig Tiley, a total of 26 athletes have applied for a health exemption. Only a handful of them complied, Tiley said, noting that they had followed federal regulators’ instructions.
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“We have made the conditions more difficult for all applicants to ensure the right course of action and to ensure that healthcare professionals deal with this independently,” Tiley told Channel 9 on Wednesday.
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The tournament in Melbourne starts on January 17. “I spent a great time with my loved ones during the holidays and today, with some exceptions, I go to Australia,” the Serbian tennis player said on his instagram account on Tuesday.
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Djokovic did not mention his vaccination status. Last April, however, he publicly stated that he did not agree with the vaccination. “Personally, I am against vaccination and I would not want anyone to force me to be vaccinated so that I can travel,” the tennis player said at the time.
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Australians who have one of the most severe anti-pandemic lockdowns in the world are currently facing tens of thousands of covidem-19 cases. They thus perceive Djokovic’s approach as quite controversial.
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Many Australians have loudly in the past criticized the government for allowing rich and celebrities to do what they want, while not allowing ordinary people to meet their loved ones who are sick or dying.
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“I don’t care how good a tennis player is. If he refuses to be vaccinated, he should not be allowed on the field, “said doctor Stephen Parnis, who works in the emergency room, on Twitter on Tuesday. “If this exception is true, it is a appalling message to millions of people trying to reduce the risk of Covid-19 for themselves and others. Vaccination shows respect, Novak, “he added.
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Some of his tennis colleagues have also expressed astonishment at the exception for Djokovic. “I think it’s very interesting. That’s all I have to say, “said Australian tennis player Alex de Minaur at a press conference. “I think if I was unvaccinated, I would not get an exception,” commented British tennis player Jamie Murray.
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Requests for exemptions for health reasons are assessed independently by two separate commissions. He cites inflammatory heart disease or other acute health problems as legitimate reasons.
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Server BBC however, he points out that it is possible that Djokovic recently underwent a covid, which would allow him to postpone the vaccination.
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According to Australian Open director Tiley and Victoria Secretary of State Jaala Pulford, Djokovic could ease the outrage by providing more information to the public. “It would certainly help if Novak explained the conditions under which he applied for an exemption and the conditions under which it was granted, but in the end it is up to him,” Tiley said.
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