Why Novak Djokovic Was Blocked From Entering Australia
This excerpt is particularly interesting:
Last year, the Australian Open said participants would have to be fully vaccinated, in line with requirements for entering the country. Mr. Djokovic’s participation was seen as unlikely until he
announced on Tuesday that he would play after receiving an exemption.
He did not say why he had received the exemption; neither did Australian tennis officials. But they explained that 26 people who had applied for a vaccine waiver had had their requests reviewed by panels of medical officials from both Tennis Australia and the state of Victoria. A small number were granted.
The requests were reviewed under guidelines from an official government advisory body on vaccinations. The group
listed several possible reasons for exemptions, including a Covid-19 infection within the last six months, inflammatory cardiac illness, or acute medical conditions such as major surgery.
Mr. Djokovic’s application was based on a recent infection,
The Sydney Morning Herald reported.
Mr. Djokovic’s exemption was denounced by many in Australia as the Omicron variant has driven a jump in new cases and residents have faced long delays in testing.
After Mr. Djokovic arrived in Melbourne, he was questioned for hours at the airport before being sent to a quarantine hotel. Prime Minister Scott Morrison of Australia, who has faced criticism over the government’s Covid response in recent days, announced that Mr. Djokovic’s entry had been denied.
“Rules are rules, especially when it comes to our borders,” Mr. Morrison
wrote on Twitter. “No one is above these rules.”
In November, Greg Hunt, the Australian health minister, said in a
letter to Craig Tiley, the head of Tennis Australia, that people who had contracted Covid-19 and had not been fully vaccinated would not qualify for quarantine-free entry.
Mr. Hunt added that the grounds for an exemption, such as a recent infection, are meant “for domestic purposes only — such as interstate travel, or meeting workplace vaccination requirements — and does not apply in the context of international borders.”
It was not clear why Tennis Australia and the Victoria government then granted Mr. Djokovic the exemption.
Mr. Morrison said on Thursday that there had “not necessarily” been any problem with Australia’s initial granting of a visa to Mr. Djokovic, and that it was up to travelers with visas to show proof of full vaccination at the border.