There is fresh confusion surrounding the upcoming Australian Open after two of the country’s top political figures issued contrasting views on the potential decision to allow players who have not been vaccinated to attend.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison appeared to confirm on Wednesday that unvaccinated players will be allowed entry into the country but must go through a quarantine upon arrival. His comments follow a recent leaked email sent by the WTA Players Council on Sunday which says those who are not double jabbed will have to go into a 14-day quarantine. The email said the proposals are based on conversations they (the WTA Players Council) have had with Tennis Australia but it is possible they could be changed.
“The same rules have to apply to everyone,” Morrison told Channel 7’s Sunrise. “If I wasn’t double vaccinated when I got home from Glasgow, I’d be doing two weeks of quarantine in Sydney.
“The same rules apply to everyone, whether you’re a grand slam winner, a Prime Minister, a business traveller, a student, or whoever — same rules.
“There are many people who still come to Australia at the moment under particular arrangements, but if you are not vaccinated you will have to quarantine in Victoria.”
In a separate interview on the same day with Channel 9 Australia, Morrison said he wanted to start major events in the country again because ‘jobs depend on it.’ Pointing out the country’s low fatality rate related to COVID-19 following strict measures which have been implemented.
However, Daniel Andrews has issued a sharp rebuke to Morrison’s comments. Andrews is the Premier of Victoria which is the state where the Australian Open is held. Speaking to reporters on the same day, he said the region will not be applying for any special exemptions to be made for unvaccinated players. Recently the state implemented a health mandate requiring essential workers, including professional athletes, to have a vaccination.
“What I want to make very clear is that the state of Victoria will not be applying for any exemptions for unvaccinated players,” he said.
“I’m not applying for any exemptions for any unvaccinated players. So we don’t apply for an exemption, then no exemption will be granted. And then the whole issue is basically resolved.“I’m not going to actually require people sitting in the grandstand people working at the event to be vaccinated while players aren’t, so we’re not going to be applying for an exemption.”
Under Australian law, Andrews is in charge of affairs which takes place in his region and Morrison oversees the country as a whole.
Some players such as Novak Djokovic and Daniil Medvedev have stated that they do want to publicly disclose their vaccine status. According to a report by Simon Cambers for Tennis Majors, the ATP estimates that 65% of their players are currently fully vaccinated. It is unclear as to what percentage of the WTA Tour is fully vaccinated.
It is expected that the rules regarding playing the Australian Open will be finalised at some stage next month.
