Victorian premier Dan Andrews insists he will not be applying for an exemption for unvaccinated tennis stars to enter the state, muddying the 2022 Australian Open waters.
His comments come after Prime Minister Scott Morrison said unvaccinated players would be allowed into the country for the tournament, one week after Immigration Minister Alex Hawke also declared that wasn’t on the cards.
“What I want to make very clear is that the state of Victoria will not be applying for any exemptions for unvaccinated players,” Andrews said on Wednesday.
World No.1 Novak Djokovic has repeatedly refused to reveal if he is vaccinated against COVID-19, having last week flagged he was unsure whether he would return to Melbourne in 2022.
Australia’s Grand Slam vaccination debate has been swirling since the Victorian government introduced a mandate for professional athletes to get the jab.
It remains unclear how that rule will be applied to the Open and foreign travellers.
Hawke said a week ago that “our health advice is that when we open the borders, everyone that comes to Australia will have to be double vaccinated… that’s a universal application, not just to tennis players”.
There is now uncertainty whether unvaccinated players who wish to compete in the Grand Slam can enter the state of Victoria let alone undergo mandatory quarantine.
“Same rules have to apply to everyone. If I was not double vaccinated when I came home to Glasgow, I would be doing two weeks of quarantine,” Morrison told the Seven Network.
“But if you are not vaccinated, you will have to quarantine in Victoria.
“The states will set the rules about the quarantine.”
Morrison’s comments also surprised Victorian Health Minister Martin Foley, who said the state’s public health team would have to “consider what the prime minister said”.
“The Victorian government was working on the basis that the position of the immigration minister was the position of the government,” he told reporters outside parliament on Wednesday.
Victoria’s government will ultimately dictate the restrictions on any potential unvaccinated arrivals into Melbourne.
Djokovic and other players pushed for various quarantine exemptions earlier this year, when he proceeded to win a ninth Australian Open title.
It remains unclear what leeway state governments will grant in 2022, if any, but Djokovic was notably upbeat last week.
“I believe there will be a lot of restrictions just like this year, but I doubt there will be too many changes,” he said.
Djokovic quarantined in South Australia earlier this year, but lobbied tennis authorities on behalf of players isolating in Melbourne hotels.