What effect does Victoria’s lockdown have on the Australian Open?

MELBOURNE, Australia — The 2021 Australian Open already was looking considerably different to previous years, but Friday’s announcement of a snap five-day state lockdown of Victoria has thrown things into further chaos.

Players will once again have to get used to no crowds, with spectators locked out of Melbourne Park until at least Thursday, Feb. 18, in order to comply with the state’s Stage 4 restrictions.

So what exactly is happening in Melbourne and what does this mean for the first Grand Slam of the year? Here’s an attempt to clear things up a bit.

What is the current COVID-19 situation in Victoria?

As of Saturday, Victoria has 20 active cases of COVID-19. Just one new case of the virus was detected in the community overnight — bringing the number of community cases (those not in hotel quarantine) to 14.

All cases not in hotel quarantine and their immediate close contacts (such as family members and housemates) currently are self-isolating. In the 24 hours to midnight Friday night, 20,116 tests were conducted across the state.

All 20 active cases are linked to Melbourne Airport’s Holiday Inn cluster, which is the source of the outbreak. The hotel was, but is no longer, used as a hotel quarantine location for returning overseas arrivals, after the virus escaped and made its way into the community last week.

What are the latest restrictions in Victoria?

On Friday, Victoria’s state government mandated a “circuit-breaker” five-day lockdown and reintroduced Stage 4 restrictions for the entire state. It means that from Saturday, Victorians (and all visitors to the state) are only permitted to leave their residence for one of four reasons: shopping for necessary goods and services, care and caregiving, exercise, and essential work.

Necessary goods and services include supermarkets and other food retailers, post offices, banks, pharmacies, and liquor stores. Other establishments, including gyms, swimming pools and sporting clubs, have been forced to close for the duration of the lockdown.

Except for attending essential work and giving care, Victorians also are not allowed to leave a 5k radius around their homes, while facemasks must be worn at all times — except when undertaking strenuous exercise like running. A full list of the restrictions can be found here.

Do players have to abide by the latest restrictions?

Yes, but under the restrictions, they are defined as “essential workers” and are allowed to attend their place of work — in this case, Melbourne Park. However, once they have left the precinct, they must abide by the same rules as everyone in Victoria, including leaving their residence for just the four essential reasons. Given practice is part of their job, they will be allowed to practice on the courts at Melbourne Park when they’re not playing. Players are required to wear masks while both indoors and outdoors, except when exercising.

During their initial 14-day quarantine, those who weren’t in hard lockdown were allowed out to practice for five hours per day, but this limit is not in place for the current restrictions.

Who is still allowed at Melbourne Park?

The Melbourne Park grounds will look pretty bare over the weekend and into the second week of the tournament with fans unable to enter. Still, aside from the players and coaches, there are a few others who you may see roaming around the grounds.

“Those essential to the delivery of the event will be on site,” tournament director Craig Tiley said on Friday afternoon.

This means, umpires and ball kids will continue their roles as normal. Security is also permitted on site, along with members of the media, including photographers, broadcasters and written press.

What happens to fans who had tickets for Days 6 to 10?

While it may be disappointing that fans won’t be able to attend the Australian Open, they won’t be left out of pocket. Tennis Australia will be offering full refunds to every ticketed fan from Saturday through next Wednesday, with an announcement on how they can apply for refunds expected imminently. Details will be shared once they are known.

Are those who were forced to leave Rod Laver Arena on Friday night eligible for a refund?

World No. 1 Novak Djokovic said he had “never seen anything like it,” when Rod Laver Arena fans were asked to leave the venue at 11:30 p.m. local time on Friday. With the curfew imminent, play was suspended for 15 minutes as spectators were sent home by security. It meant Djokovic and American Taylor Fritz had to play out their deciding fifth set in an empty stadium, while fans who had to leave were robbed of what was to be an epic finish.

While unconfirmed, Tennis Australia also is likely to refund any purchased tickets to Friday night’s session on Rod Laver Arena, despite fans being able to watch the previous 5 1/2 hours of play.