Tension in Australia over Djokovic’s medical exemption: “If the tests are insufficient, he will go home on the next plane”

A new chapter in the bidding between Australia Y Novak Djokovic amidst the marked advance of the variant Omicron of coronavirus It has started from the strong statements of Prime Minister Scott Morrison, who has warned that the Serbian tennis player has to show that he has a COVID-19 Vaccine Medical Exemption when you land in the country or will be “On the next plane back home”.

“We are waiting for your presentation and the evidence you provide to support it. If that evidence is insufficient, you will not be treated differently from others and will be on the next plane back home. There should be no special rules for Novak Djokovic at all“, He said Morrison at a press conference after chairing a meeting of state leaders on how to deal with record levels of infections by COVID-19 in the country.

Djokovic, current world number one and defending champion in the Australian Open, announced Tuesday that he had received a medical exemption allowing him to play in the first Grand Slam tournament of the season that begins next Monday. January 17.

The Australian Tennis Federation and the Government of the State of Victoria said that the case of Nole was one of a “handful” of successful applicants out of 26 people who requested immunization exemptions, but had not received no special treatment in the anonymous application process. However, the decision to grant Djokovic an exemption for the tournament drew strong criticism from Australia, where more than 90% of those over 16 years of age have been vaccinated.

“I think many people in the Victorian community will find this a disappointing situation. But the process is the process; no one has had special treatment. The process is incredibly robust. “, justified Jaala Pulford, Victoria’s Sports Minister, at a press conference on Wednesday.

He also spoke about it Craig Tiley, the CEO of Tennis Australia, who explained that the two-stage application process was confidential and was in charge of independent experts. All applications were evaluated to ensure that the exemptions met the conditions set out by the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunization (ATAGI).

However, the country’s authorities awaited the arrival of Djokovic to verify your medical exemption to be able to participate in the Australian Open, where he will try to become the highest winner of Grand Slam tournaments in tennis history after equaling the record of Roger Federer Y Rafael Nadal (20 titles) by winning Wimbledon last year.

After more than eight hours of being held at Melbourne Tullamarine International Airport, Djokovic did not receive permission from the Australian authorities to enter the country to dispute the Australian Open and will have to return to Serbia on the next flight, as reported by the Australian site The Age.

“Novak Djokovic’s visa has been canceled. They have told him to leave the country today, as confirmed by two sources to The Age. His attorneys are in the process of appeal. You have not shown the Border Force sufficient evidence for your medical exemption“Said journalist Paul Sakkal, who followed the case since the early hours of the morning.

“While the (regional) Government of Victoria and Tennis Australia may allow an unvaccinated player to compete in the Australian Open, it is the Australian Government that will enforce our requirements on the Australian border. Anyone who wants to enter Australia must comply with our strict border requirements, “he had declared. Karen Andrews, Minister of the Interior, in a statement.

Those who have not received the full schedule of the vaccine against COVID-19 must prove to the authorities that they cannot receive this drug for medical reasons to avoid, in this way, the quarantines of 14 days.

In Melbourne there was the longest lockdown in the world to contain the advance of the coronavirus, and an outbreak of the variant Omicron it has caused the number of cases to reach record levels. The Australian Open, which in the last edition put tennis players under a two-week quarantine, is celebrated in the midst of a crisis due to the increase in infections, which went from almost 212,000 cases accumulated from December 1 to more than 500,000 this week.

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