By Witherspoon
Coronavirus turbulence continues to swirl across the Australian Open.
A 3rd AO constitution flight produced a optimistic COVID-19 case forcing all passengers aboard Qatar Airways flight QR7485 from Doha right into a 14-day onerous quarantine.
Now, there are 72 gamers in isolation lock down of their lodge rooms serving quarantine.
Spanish teenager Carlos Alcaraz, who certified for the Australian Open, and his coach, former world No. 1 Juan Carlos Ferrero, have been amongst these on board the flight from Doha. Each are reportedly in good well being and amongst a rising listing of gamers, coaches and officers confined to quarantine.
“There have been 58 passengers on the flight, together with 25 gamers,” the Australian Open stated in a press release. “All are already in quarantine inns. The 25 gamers on the flight will be unable to depart their lodge room for 14 days and till they’re medically cleared. They won’t be eligible to apply.”
The Australian Open is about to begin on February eighth.
There are 72 gamers serving onerous quarantine after three of the event’s constitution flights featured optimistic Coronavirus instances. Exhausting quarantine restriction means gamers are usually not permitted to depart their lodge rooms.
9 Information Melbourne experiences one in every of its reporters aboard the Doha flight examined optimistic for Coronavirus upon arrival in Melbourne.
Earlier, three instances of COVID-19 have been detected amongst two flights—one flight from Abu Dhabi and the opposite from Los Angeles—forcing 47 gamers who have been on these flights to serve a strict 14-day quarantine of their lodge rooms.
They gained’t have the ability to go away their lodge rooms even to apply or practice. Former AO champion Victoria Azarenka, Kei Nishikori, Sloane Stepens and Heather Watson are reportedly among the many gamers who have been on these flights and now serving quarantine.
Sylvain Bruneau, coach of 2019 US Open champion Bianca Andreescu, examined optimistic for the virus after flying to Melbourne from Abu Dhabi and provided apologies to fellow passengers now confined to quarantine.
“I’m deeply sorry to share that I’ve simply examined optimistic for COVID-19 upon arrival right here in Melbourne, after travelling from Abu Dhabi on flight EY8004,” Bruneau posted on social media. “I’ve adopted the entire security protocols and procedures, together with testing damaging inside 72 hours earlier than the flight departure and felt completely high quality once I boarded the aircraft.
Some gamers have taken to social media to protest the confinement, significantly the lack to apply for 2 weeks that may put them at a aggressive drawback.
Australian Open event director Craig Tiley pushed again on the criticism saying gamers and coaches have been knowledgeable “there was all the time a danger” of quarantine. Tiley stated the Australian Open plans to proceed as scheduled beginning on February eighth.
“These situations they’re continually altering, however there’s all the time a danger, we did make it clear initially,” Tiley tprevious 9 Information. “That’s why we’ve the participant teams and cohorts, that there was all the time a danger that somebody could be optimistic then and must go into 14 days of isolation, there was a danger on the aircraft that you’d be a detailed contact, there was a danger that everybody could possibly be a detailed contact.
“You don’t know what the end result of that call goes to be till it really occurs. It’s unlucky that we’re in an atmosphere proper now the place we’ve obtained to handle it.”
