Novak Djokovic caught in Melbourne airport over COVID-19 vaccine exemption confusion

Novak Djokovic was caught in an Australian airport on Wednesday as officers tried to work by means of a visa situation associated to his COVID-19 vaccine exemption for the upcoming Australian Open, Reuters reported. The information comes amid controversy over the choice to grant the top-ranked males’s tennis participant a medical exemption to enter the event. 

On Tuesday, Djokovic introduced that he had been granted a medical exemption for the Open — a choice that rapidly sparked backlash in Australia. Djokovic has not publicly disclosed whether or not he has been vaccinated. 

Event officers stated in an announcement that he was granted the medical exemption after a “rigorous overview course of” that included two separate impartial panels of consultants, that are made up of docs from immunology, infectious illness and common observe.

However when Djokovic arrived in Australia on Wednesday, officers realized that his workforce had utilized for a kind of visa that doesn’t allow vaccine exemptions, Reuters reported. The performing sports activities minister within the state of Victoria — which holds the Open — stated the state wouldn’t assist Djokovic’s visa software and deferred to the federal authorities on whether or not to permit the tennis star within the nation.

Djokovic’s capability to enter the nation is now within the palms of Prime Minister Scott Morrison, in response to Reuters. Earlier Wednesday, Morrison had stated that Djokovic wanted to offer “acceptable proof that he can’t be vaccinated for medical causes” earlier than coming into the nation. 

“If that proof is inadequate, then he will not be handled any totally different to anybody else and he’ll be on the subsequent airplane house,” Morrison stated on the time. He has not commented publicly because the confusion on the airport. 

Whereas some fellow tennis gamers welcomed Djokovic’s return to the Australian Open, girls’s prime ranked tennis participant and Australian Ashleigh Barty stated she understands why persons are “pissed off” with the choice to permit him play. 

Australian Open director Craig Tiley stated gamers, followers and employees on the event have to be totally vaccinated until there is a purpose why an exemption must be granted.

The backlash towards Djokovic’s exemption comes because the nation’s residents have handled strict COVID-related measures. In Melbourne, individuals have spent greater than 260 days beneath lockdown because the starting of the pandemic, in response to the BBC. 

Djokovic has 9 Australian Open titles, and he received the final three. With one other victory in Australia, he might break a three-way tie with tennis greats Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal for essentially the most Grand Slam singles titles with a document twenty first win.