Australian Open to go without fans as ‘new kind of enemy’ forces Victoria to lock down

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“Tennis Australia continues to work with the government to ensure the health and safety of all,” the organization said in a statement.

Tournament director and Tennis Australia CEO Craig Tilley said the players would live and compete in a live “bubble” in lockdown.

“Players will compete in a bubble form that they are not doing the right thing all year,” he told reporters.

“In fact, this was the first event they played in front of the crowd and now they will continue to play and compete for the next five days.

“So the people who will be allowed on site will only be players and their direct support team as well as staff members who are unable to do their work from home.”

Tennis fans told CNN that attending and hosting the Open, one of the biggest events of the year in Melbourne, some residents felt they had earned after so many weeks of vigilance. If the lockdown has not been extended for the last 5 days, people may still be able to participate in the tournament, but the open mid-weekend is usually the most popular.

“It hurts today. Victorians know, better than anyone, just how deeply,” he said.

Andrews said people would only be allowed to leave their home for four reasons: shopping for necessities; Care and care; Exercise; And work, if it is deemed necessary by the government.

Shopkeepers and exercise goers will only be allowed to travel within 5 kilometers (3.1 mi) of their home, as long as they live close to the shops.

Most retail businesses will be forced to close in addition to essential stores such as supermarkets and pharmacies. Restaurants and cafes will be allowed to provide take-away service. And gathering in private homes and public places is prohibited.

“By limiting our movement, we limit the possible spread of the virus,” Andrews said.

Open barrier

Victoria’s lockdown is hampered by a series of organizers of the annual tennis tournament facing their efforts in a successful event during an epidemic.

The tournament was originally delayed by three weeks, and the government said that players coming from overseas would have to quarantine for 14 days. The initial plan was to allow players to practice for five hours per day, but many people involved with the Open tested positive for the virus, while in quarantine – forcing 72 players to undergo more intensive quarantine, including not allowing them Thi leave their room for a full 14 days.

Then, with a few days to go before the start of the tournament, a security guard at one of Melbourne’s quarantine hotels tested positive for the virus – forcing their close contacts to return in isolation until they arrived Not freed from infection.

The organizers expected 400,000 fans to participate in the tournament this year in a socially distant way, nearly half the number in last year’s competition, and on the first day on Monday, fans were inundated – the fact Remembering that they are some of the few people on the planet capable of participating in live sports during the epidemic.

As soon as the news of the snap lockdown arrived on Friday, several games were already underway with fans getting a final glimpse of the action for at least five days.

In particular, Serena Williams kept her hopes of a record-equal 24th Grand Slam title alive after surviving a minor scare.

The American saved two set points in his match against Anastasia Potapova but won 7-6 (7-5) 6-2 in straight sets.

Talking of a lockdown after his match, Williams said: “It’s rough. I think there are going to be some days for everyone. But we will hopefully get through it.”

Meanwhile, Naomi Osaka defeated Ones Jabbre 6-3 6-2 to reach the fourth round of the tournament.

Unlike Australia, however, Japan is struggling to cope with the increasing number of coronavirus cases. Cases have more than doubled to more than 406,000 cases in the last two months, despite the fact that Japan’s medical system is on the verge that the country has the most hospital beds per capita in the developed world.