The Victorian government has been accused of double standards in its border policy ahead of the Australian Open allowing tennis players to enter the state despite the fact that there are more than 37,000 Australians stranded overseas, with 4,800 of those classed as “vulnerable”.
More than 1,000 tennis players and officials from around the world have been allowed entry for the tournament despite many residents abroad and interstate unable to come home.
Many elite tennis players, including Stefanos Tsitsipas and Maria Sakkari of Greece, along with their support staff are already in Melbourne or set to come over the next few days to begin their two-week quarantine ahead of the 8 February game. The players need to spend 14 days in hotel quarantine but are allowed for five hours per day for training.
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Hundreds have arrived on chartered flights a week after the federal government slashed the number of returned travellers allowed into hotel quarantines over concerns for more infections of new coronavirus variants.
Emirates last night announced the suspension of flights to Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane, creating more problems for those seeking to return to Australia.
On Saturday, Victoria recorded its tenth consecutive day without new locally transmitted COVID-19 cases. There were three new cases in hotel quarantine.