The Australian Open is interrupting games on Thursday – four days before the tournament starts – after an employee at one of the tournament hotels tested positive for COVID-19.
The first Grand Slam of 2021 is scheduled to start on Monday. The venue is hosting competition for ATP Cup teams, among others, until Friday. There were about 62 games scheduled for Thursday.
Australian Open: 600 to quarantine days before the Grand Slam
Between 500 and 600 players, officials and support staff will have to isolate themselves in their hotel rooms until they have a negative result on the COVID-19 test. Australian Open organizers announced the news on Twitter late on Wednesday.
We will work with everyone involved to facilitate testing as quickly as possible.
There will be no games at Melbourne Park on Thursday. A schedule update for Friday will be announced later today. #AusOpen
– #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) February 3, 2021
“The health authorities informed us that a Hotel Quarantine employee tested positive for COVID-19,” the statement said. “AO members who were quarantined at the hotel now need to be tested and isolated until they receive a negative result.
“We will work with everyone involved to facilitate testing as quickly as possible. There will be no games at Melbourne Park on Thursday. A schedule update for Friday will be announced later today. “
The individual’s test was negative on his last day at the hotel, but then it was positive for the virus. The government is working on tracking contacts and he is in a medical center, said Victoria Prime Minister Daniel Andrews through the AP.
“This is a case. There is no need for people to panic, “said Andrews.” There is no need for alarms. We Victorians know what to do and have proven, as a state, to be very successful in managing this type of outbreak, this type of problem. “
Victoria officials announced earlier in the day, before the news of the test, that the area had gone 28 days without a case involving local broadcasting.
Quarantined players considered casual contacts
All those staying at the Grand Hyatt Hotel are considered casual contacts of the 26-year-old with a positive result, the health department said through The Guardian. Andrews called a press conference late at night to announce the case “very carefully” and asked anyone who had symptoms to get tested, according to the reports.
“This is a test that passes in the afternoon,” said Victoria’s director of health, Prof Brett Sutton, through The Guardian. “We have already stepped up all aspects of the response that we know need to be in place to be ahead of it.”
No interruption is expected in the Grand Slam game starting Monday, officials said. Six tournaments are being played in Melbourne this week in preparation for the Grand Slam.
The first Grand Slam in 2021 presents problems
Australian took the COVID-19 protocol seriously and allowed only a small number of charter flights for Australian Open participants.
Almost 100 players, staff and staff had to be in strong quarantine for 14 days after individuals on three chartered flights tested positive for COVID-19 upon arrival in the country. These individuals reportedly left quarantine measures over the weekend. Unlike others, they were not allowed to train outside and had to stay in their rooms.
The death count for COVID-19 in Australia is 909, with 820 of them in Victoria. Most of these deaths come from a second deadly wave last year, according to the AP. More than 28,000 cases have already occurred. The Australian Open is still planning to host up to 30,000 spectators daily during the two-week tournament.
The United States had more than 446,000 deaths on Wednesday morning and more than 26.4 million reported cases. New York hosted the US Open at Flushing Meadows in October under strict, fanless guidelines.
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Originally published