According to the announcement made by the tournament director on Monday, players at the Australian Open 2023 this month will not be required to have Covid-19 tests, and they will be able to compete even if they have the virus.
A significant departure from the stringent regulations that have surrounded the event for the past two years is the new health policy, which Tiley said matched what was happening in the larger community.
The tournament in 2021 took place inside a biosecure bubble, and spectators were barred from entering for several days following an outbreak of the virus in the local community. In contrast, Novak Djokovic, a nine-time champion, was expelled from the competition in 2018 due to his opposition to vaccines.
Tiley told reporters at Melbourne Park that all they wanted to do was keep up with what’s happening in the neighbourhood at the moment. We have gone one step further by issuing a recommendation regarding staying away while you are ill, and that our medical staff will continue to monitor that, both with the players individually as well as collectively with the team as a whole.
Despite having a positive test result for covid, Australian cricketer Matt Renshaw continued to play for his country during a five-day Test match that was played against South Africa in Sydney last week. During the first three days of the match, the batsman was separated from the rest of his team, but following a series of negative tests, he was allowed to rejoin his colleagues in the home dressing room.
Tiley went on to say that it has been made very plain to both the players and the staff that they should remain at home if they are experiencing any symptoms of illness. It is a normalised setting for us, and not unlike cricket, there may be players who compete with Covid. This environment is not unlike to the cricket environment.
During the height of the pandemic, Melbourne was subjected to some of the longest and most stringent lockdowns anywhere in the world. However, suggestions have long since replaced mandates as the foundation of public health policy in the city.
