"Not going to have millionaire players who ought to be vaccinated running around" - Daniel Andrews doubles down on vaccine mandate ahead of 2022 Australian Open
Victoria's Premier Daniel Andrews has rejected the notion of unvaccinated players entering his state to take part in next year's Australian Open. Andrews said he considers it unfair to the rest of the people attending the event, who are required to be jabbed.
Speaking to Sky, Andrews stressed that his government would not be applying for exemptions that allow unvaccinated individuals to ply their trade in the region, despite the federal government's go-ahead. This suggests unvaccinated players will not be allowed to participate in the 2022 Australian Open even if they agree to quarantine for two weeks.
“Our position as a state is, we will not be applying for exemptions so therefore we will not be applying for exemptions and that position won’t change,” Daniel Andrews said on Tuesday.
Andrews' comments come in stark contrast to previous statements made by Australia's Prime Minister Scott Morrison, who insisted that unvaccinated individuals should be granted permission to carry out their activities in the region provided they quarantine.
However, since spectators and ground staff are mandatorily required to be vaccinated in order to enter Melbourne Park, Andrews has vehemently opposed the idea of bending the rules for unvaccinated players.
He also took a thinly-veiled jibe at some of the top stars, labeling them "millionaire players".
“I’m not going to have people sitting in the grandstands having done the right thing only to have millionaire players who ought to be vaccinated running around the place being essentially at such higher risk of spreading this," Andrews added.
Andrews' statement casts further doubt on Novak Djokovic's participation at the event. The Serb's vaccination status is still unclear as he has time and again refused to comment about the matter.
World No. 2 Daniil Medvedev, too, has not disclosed his vaccination status, but he did post a tweet on Tuesday, confirming his presence at the 2022 Australian Open.
See you in January! ❤️ @AustralianOpen https://t.co/PByYSBmFUJ
Daniel Andrews, meanwhile, further pointed out how unvaccinated fans cannot purchase tickets for the event, let alone attend it.
“As far as the Australian Open goes, I’m not going to have unvaccinated people unable to buy a ticket while unvaccinated players move their way around Melbourne Park," Andrews continued.
Going by Andrews' latest comments, it seems highly unlikely that Novak Djokovic will be allowed to participate in the 2022 Australian Open if he is not yet vaccinated.
As things stand, it appears as though the Victorian government strictly plans to enforce the health mandate announced a few weeks ago, which stated that all athletes, amongst other workers, need to be fully vaccinated by the end of November should they wish to ply their trade in the region.
"For things like the footy, Boxing Day Test, and Australian Open tennis it's the only fair and right thing to do" - Daniel Andrews
During the conversation, Daniel Andrews also suggested there could be some instances where his government would seek exemptions for unvaccinated individuals. But he was quick to point out that big events like the Boxing Day Test match and the Australian Open would not feature on that list.
“That’s not to say there won’t be other exemptions that we apply for,” Andrews said. “Maybe it’s that issue about two standards, one on the playing field and one in the grandstands that won’t apply for every single event."
"But for things like the footy, things like the Boxing Day Test, things like the Oz Open tennis the only fair and right thing to do… is to have that absolutely consistent approach," he added.