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Novak Djokovic has been denied entry into Australia and he won’t play for a 10th Australian Open title. He had secured “exemption permission” before landing in the country, but the border authorities have rejected it. His visa has been canceled because he failed to meet the requirements for an exemption to COVID-19 vaccination rules. The top-ranked tennis player has been vocal against vaccines and his vaccination status is not confirmed.
Djokovic had announced on social media that he had “exemption permission” from the Victoria state government, but the Australian Border Force said he failed to meet entry requirements. He had to wait at the airport for eight hours, and Aleksandar Vucic, the president of Serbia, Djokovic’s native country, has alleged harassment.
It is possible that other players who have secured the exemption have entered Australia. But that does not mean Djokovic is singled out, according to Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison. “When you get people making public statements about what they say they have, and they’re going to do, they draw significant attention to themselves,” the PM said. On his part, the player should have taken care of his documentation, and if he is not vaccinated he should respect the law of land.
Indeed, the charge of being singled out may work the other way round. When he announced he had secured an exemption, many had Australians wondered if he was given a special treatment.
PM Morrison maintains that the rule is very clear and it applies to one and all. “You need to have a medical exemption. He didn’t have a valid medical exemption.” The border officials reviewed the exemption papers as well as “at the integrity and the evidence behind it” before taking the call.
News reports don’t make it clear what the ‘exemption’ was, though it could presumably be a negative test report. In any case, a federal authority can overturn a state-level decision. Australia has among the lowest rates of the pandemic spread, and it has succeeded in keeping the virus under control precisely with such controls.
Djokovic had tested positive for Covid-19 in June 2020.
Also see:
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-australia-59890943
https://apnews.com/article/novak-djokovic-australian-open-visa-771cb1e2a7a0e0358ddc77abcd7e0a9c
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/01/05/sports/tennis/novak-djokovic-australia-visa.html