Gamers residing below strict quarantine guidelines after arriving for the Australian Open will get “no particular remedy”, says Victorian premier Daniel Andrews.
Seventy-two gamers are confined to their lodge rooms in Melbourne for 14 days after optimistic coronavirus take a look at outcomes on flights sure for the occasion.
At the least 9 contaminated individuals – together with one participant – are in quarantine, officers say.
“The virus does not deal with you specifically, so neither will we,” Andrews mentioned.
Some gamers have complained the tougher 14-day quarantine was pointless.
With the Grand Slam event set to begin on 8 February, gamers are resorting to hitting balls in opposition to the partitions and home windows of their rooms to remain sharp.
“I do know there’s been a little bit of, little bit of chatter from numerous gamers concerning the guidelines,” Andrews mentioned.
“The principles apply to them as they apply to everyone else they usually had been all briefed on that earlier than they got here and that was the situation on which they got here.
“So there isn’t any particular remedy right here.”
The affected gamers have been deemed shut contacts of the 4 Covid-19 circumstances on the three planes which arrived from Los Angeles, Abu Dhabi and Doha.
French participant Alize Cornet, who just isn’t one of many 72 gamers affected, apologised after initially saying the choice to maintain them inside their room was “insane”.
Kazakhstan’s world quantity 28 Yulia Putintseva mentioned the gamers had not been informed they might be confined to their rooms if one particular person on the entire flight examined optimistic.
Others mentioned they’d been made conscious of the potential state of affairs by event bosses.
Gordon Reid, Britain’s two-time males’s wheelchair Grand Slam champion, is among the many gamers confined to his room and says it’s a “minority which are kicking up a fuss”.
“However the majority of the time that minority are the loudest,” the Scot added.
The gamers who haven’t been pressured into the harder restrictions are allowed out of their rooms for as much as 5 hours day by day.
Observe has lastly received underway at Melbourne Park after delays attributable to Covid testing and transport issues.
Many gamers had their classes cancelled whereas take a look at outcomes had been confirmed- typically ready of their room for transport which by no means arrived.
Tennis Australia says it has been a “difficult few days” whereas they labored to make sure everybody’s security as follow begins.
“We perceive this has been irritating for the gamers and apologise,” a spokesperson informed the BBC.
