Andrews that “this hyper-infectious variant is moving at a hyper-fast speed” and that to stop it, the government needed to establish a short, strict closure so that people do not inadvertently infect other people before they realize they have contracted. the virus themselves.
“We’re facing a new kind of enemy. A smarter, faster and more infectious virus,” Andrews said of the variant. “Until we have a vaccine, we must do everything we can to keep this virus at bay.”
Australia has not yet begun rolling out coronavirus vaccines.
“Tennis Australia continues to work with the government to ensure the health and safety of everyone,” the organization said in a statement.
Tennis fans told CNN that attending and organizing the Open, one of Melbourne’s most important events of the year, was something residents felt they had won after so many weeks of surveillance. People may be able to attend the tournament if the lockout doesn’t last more than five days, but the average Open weekend is usually the most popular.
“It hurts today. Victorians know, better than anyone, how deep,” he said.
Andrews said people will only be able to leave home for four reasons: to buy basic necessities; attention and care; exercise; and work, if the government deems it essential.
Buyers and those exercising will only be able to travel less than 5 kilometers (3.1 miles) from their home unless they live so close to the stores.
Most retail companies will be forced to close, in addition to essential stores such as supermarkets and pharmacies. Restaurants and cafes will be allowed to offer takeaway service. And meetings in private and public homes are prohibited.
“By limiting our movement, we limit the potential spread of the virus,” Andrews said.
The obstacles of the Open
The closing of Victoria is the latest in a series of hurdles the organizers of the annual tennis tournament have faced in their efforts to organize a successful event during a pandemic.
The tournament was initially delayed three weeks and the government ordered that players coming from abroad should be quarantined for 14 days. The initial plan had been to allow quarantined players five hours a day to practice, but several people linked to the Open tested positive for the virus while in quarantine, forcing 72 players to spend a more intense quarantine in which they were not allowed to leave their rooms for the full 14 days.
Then, just days before the start of the tournament, a security guard at one of Melbourne’s quarantine hotels tested positive for the virus, forcing his close contacts to isolate themselves until they were cleared of the infection.
Organizers had expected up to 400,000 fans to attend the tournament this year in a socially distanced way, about half of last year’s competition, and fans came out in force on Monday the first day, enjoying the fact that they are some of the few people on the planet who can attend live sports during the pandemic.
When news of the instant blockade was announced on Friday, many games were already underway and fans had their last glimpse of action for at least five days.
Notably, Serena Williams kept alive her hopes of winning a 24th grand slam title record after surviving a minor scare.
The American saved two set points in her match against Anastasia Potapova, but bounced back to win in straight sets 7-6 (7-5) 6-2.
Speaking of the blockade after his match, Williams said: “It’s tough. I think it’s going to be a tough few days for everyone. But hopefully we’ll get it.”
Meanwhile, Naomi Osaka fought Ons Jabeur 6-3 6-2 to reach the fourth round of the tournament.
However, unlike Australia, Japan is struggling to cope with the increasing number of coronavirus cases. Cases have doubled in the past two months to over 406,000, which has extended the limit of the Japanese medical system despite the country having the largest number of hospital beds per capita in the developed world.
CNN’s Chandler Thornton, Angus Watson, Ben Westcott and Paul Devitt contributed to this report