MELBOURNE, Australia – Tennis fans will be stranded at the Australian Open at 23:59 local time on Friday (7:59 am ET) as Victoria prepares for a five-day blockade amid a COVID group -19 rising. the outer suburbs of the city.
On Friday morning, with the active number of the state at 19, the Victorian Cabinet met and decided that the safest course of action was to return to the restrictions of stage 4 and put the state back on hold for at least five days, which which means fans want you not to be able to attend the Australian Open until at least the quarter-finals of week 2.
“The British strain is moving at a speed that has not been seen anywhere in our country and this is the advice we have given from our health experts,” said Victoria Prime Minister Andrew Andrews at a news conference. Friday. “As for how tennis will comply, I’ll let them talk, [but] sporting events will function as a job, but not for entertainment, as there will be no crowds. “
“I understand that many people will be worried and anxious, but I am confident that if we stay together, this short, sharp switch will be effective. I want to be here next Wednesday, announcing that these restrictions will go away.”
Australian Open tournament director Craig Tiley said organizers of the event had planned the potential to play in a bubble environment.
“The game will continue, the players will compete in a balloon that is no different from what they have done in the last year,” Tiley said. “Those who will be authorized on the spot will be players and direct assistance teams, as well as staff members who cannot do their homework … The essentials for the event will be on the spot.”
The state outbreak began last week at the Holiday Inn at Melbourne Airport and has now reached 13 cases – five of which were purchased locally on Thursday. It is assumed that all cases at the hotel are the British strain of coronavirus, which proves to be extremely contagious and harder to contain than the original version.
The restrictions in stage 4 mean that there are only four reasons why Victorians leave their homes. They must provide or receive medical care; to buy essential goods or services; to work or study (if you can’t from home); and exercise for a maximum of two hours a day. Crucially, professional athletes have been defined as “essential athletes”, meaning the Australian Open and other professional leagues and sporting events can continue.
Panic around the state erupted on Thursday when Brunetti Café at Melbourne Airport Terminal 4 was added to the list of Level 1 exposure sites after a new positive case confirmed by the virus was present at the location for more than eight hours. Tuesday afternoon.
Melbourne Airport has confirmed that 29 domestic flights arrived and departed from the terminal during that period, before a thorough overnight clean-up of the area.
The announcement of the blockade is a significant blow to Tennis Australia, which has already faced backlash over its “tough quarantine” of international player arrivals last month, in addition to facing a daily limit of 30,000 participants by the first week.
Victorians are familiar with stuck life. Between July and October last year, the state was blocked while fighting the second wave of COVID-19. The active cases of the state peaked on August 7 at 6,769, but the number fell below threefold on October 17, allowing the Australian Open to take place, albeit a month later than originally scheduled.
The US Open in September last year in New York was played behind closed doors, while the French Open the following month only allowed 1,000 spectators a day.