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Djokovic’s beliefs and behavior have made headlines during the pandemic. In April 2020, he said that he was against vaccines and that he did not want to be asked to get shots in order to travel. Just a few months later, he and his wife tested positive for COVID after organizing and playing in an exhibition match that violated social distancing recommendations. In October 2021, he said that questions about vaccination status were “inappropriate.”
The tournament’s defending champions came as a surprise on Tuesday when they posted on social media that they had been granted an “exemption permit” to travel to Australia. However, as the Melbourne Age newspaper first reported, it is not clear whether Djokovic has brought enough evidence to prove the reason for the exception.
Under Australian law, foreigners traveling to the country must have a visa and be fully vaccinated. Tennis Australia and officials in Victoria, where Melbourne is located, have made similar requirements for players who want to participate in the Open without having to undergo a mandatory 14-day quarantine.
But Australian immunization officials have limited some temporary vaccine exemptions to their citizens, including people who have had a PCR-confirmed case of COVID in the past six months. It is unclear if this applies to foreigners wishing to enter Australia, but tennis officials have pointed to the exemption in their decision to allow Djokovic to participate.
That Djokovic was granted an exemption to play in Melbourne, which is suffering from one of the world’s longest lockdowns as Australia seeks to keep the number of COVID cases at zero before vaccination spreads, has sparked a huge outcry in the country.
Tennis and Victorian officials confirmed that the application had gone through a “double-blind” review process, but a large part of the Australian public and the media railed against the decision.
“I don’t care how good a tennis player is. If they refuse to be vaccinated, they shouldn’t be allowed in,” former Australian Medical Association vice-president Stephen Parnis said. Twitter.
Asked about the tennis player’s exemption at a press conference on Wednesday, Prime Minister Scott Morrison told reporters Djokovic must “provide acceptable evidence” for his claim that he cannot be vaccinated for medical reasons.
“We await the presentation and what evidence is provided to support it,” Morrison said. “If the evidence is not enough, then he will not be treated differently than anyone else, and he will be on the next flight home.”
On Wednesday, the Morrison government indicated it would say whether Djokovic would be allowed to enter the country.
“While the Victorian Government and Tennis Australia may allow unvaccinated players to compete at the Australian Open, it is the Commonwealth Government that will enforce our requirements at the Australian border,” Home Affairs Minister Karen Andrews said in a statement titled “Australia’s border rules apply to all people.
“No individual competing at the Australian Open will be given special treatment,” Andrews said.
Hunt, the health minister, said the rules were tough but fair. “Australians have to do it very hard,” said Hunt, “and Australians in different countries and regions have to show vaccination records in some cases to enter places and cafes and so on, and it’s not reasonable to have the same requirements. for all who enter this country.”
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