More than 60 players and officials on one of the chartered flights that arrived in Australia for the tennis are facing 14 days of hard quarantine after two people on their flight tested positive to COVID-19.
One of the two people to test positive on the flight from Los Angeles was a crew member while the second person in involved in the Australian Open but is not a player. The two have been moved away from one of the hotels being used in the Australian Open's quarantine program to a health hotel.
The two cases are the first positive cases for the 1200-strong contingent of tennis players and officials since arriving in Australia. Separately, American Tennys Sandgren was allowed to travel to Australia after his positive test was deemed to be a case of "viral shedding".
All tennis players coming to Australia were granted the opportunity for a daily five-hour training period during their mandatory quarantine as part of the conditions which allowed the Australian Open to go ahead. But as close contacts of the positive cases the players on the flight will now be confined to their hotel rooms and not allowed out for training.
COVID-19 Victoria, the government body helping coordinate Tennis Australia's quarantine arrangements, said the "Australian Open participant" who tested positive had returned a negative test before boarding the flight.
"The aircrew member and the passenger have been interviewed and transferred to a health hotel as per normal processes for positive cases," a spokesperson said.
"All remaining 66 passengers on the flight have been determined to be close contacts. Any players and support people will not be able to leave quarantine to attend training.
"The remaining flight crew all tested negative and were permitted to fly out, without passengers, directly to their home port. They left at 7am today."
A leaked letter from one of the passengers on a flight that arrived from Los Angeles at 5am AEST on Friday morning revealed the positive tests.
"Unfortunately we have been informed by the health authorities that two people on your flight AR7493 from LAX that arrived at 5.15am on Friday 15 January have returned positive COVID-19 PCR tests on arrival in Melbourne," the letter, which The Age has seen, read.
"The Chief Health Officer has reviewed the flight and has determined that everyone on board needs to isolate and will be confined to their rooms for the 14 day quarantine.
"We know this is not how you imagined your preparations for the AO would start but our entire team is here to support you and do everything that we can to get you through this.
"You will soon be contacted by our medical experts Aspen Medical if you haven't been already. They are available 24/7 to support you with all of your medical, mental health or wellbeing concerns."
As the Open's contentious quarantine program started on Thursday night two other players, Andy Murray and Madison Keys, were unable to take their spots on the chartered planes after they returned positive tests before flying.
Amid strong community disapproval about a group of 1200 people arriving in Australia - including some from COVID hotspots - Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews on Saturday launched a fresh defence about the quarantine arrangements that were agreed to by health authorities and meant this year's Australian Open would avoid being cancelled.
Mr Andrews said the grand slam status of the Australian Open, which moved to Melbourne Park when the venue was opened in 1988, was always under threat.
“There’s been a bit of commentary that ... apparently the grand slam status of the Australian Open is chiselled in stone. No it’s not," Mr Andrews said.
“There are literally dozens of cities around the world that would pay almost anything to have a grand slam at our expense.
“We’re simply not going to do that. We are running a hotel quarantine model to the highest standard.
"They are the important decisions that have been made ... [and have] no impact whatsoever on the number of returning Australians that are coming into hotel quarantine here."
New York Times journalist Karen Crouse reported on Saturday (AEST) that the two new positive cases were on the charter flight from Los Angeles.
"I feel terrible for all the players aboard who now won't be allowed to practice for the next two weeks except on the exercise bikes the Australian Open delivered to their rooms," she tweeted.
"In the name of full transparency, I hope the Australian Open will divulge the names of the passengers on the LAX charter flight who tested positive in their day-of-arrival Covid test."
The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald have contacted Tennis Australia for comment.
Scott Spits is a sports reporter for The Age
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2021-01-16 03:17:00Z
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