Australian Open arrivals hit by 3 COVID-19 positive tests

SYDNEY, Jan 16, (AP): Three coronavirus cases have been detected among charter flights carrying tennis players, coaches and officials to Melbourne ahead of the Australian Open, health authorities and tournament organizers said Saturday.

A total of 47 players from the two affected flights - arriving from Los Angeles and Abu Dhabi - are now in a strictly enforced 14-day quarantine without the ability to leave their hotel rooms - even to practice. The Australian Open is scheduled to start Feb. 8.

Health authorities said two positive COVID-19 cases emerged from a charter flight from Los Angeles, and later Saturday, Tennis Australia said there was a third positive case from a flight from Abu Dhabi.

The cases from Los Angeles involved an aircrew member and a passenger who was not a player. The third positive test - also not a player - was from a flight from Abu Dhabi in the past 24 hours, Tennis Australia said. Authorities earlier said that all passengers from the Los Angeles flight would go into the 14-day hotel quarantine.

Australian Open tournament director Craig Tiley issued a statement saying the 24 players who were on that flight will not be able to leave their hotels rooms for 14 days and until they are medically cleared.

Later Saturday, Tennis Australia said 23 players were among the 64 people on the flight from Abu Dhabi.

Kei Nishikori, the 2014 U.S. Open runner-up who tested negative for COVID-19 after having two positive tests, and two-time Australian Open champion Victoria Azarenka were reported by local media to be among a group of players who arrived on the flight from Los Angeles.

Other players will be allowed to train under strict conditions and with supervision for up to five hours a day.

Players and officials were supposed to have received a negative COVID-19 tests before they boarded their flights. The people who tested positive on arrival have not been publicly identified.

Five-time finalist Andy Murray’s status for the tournament was put in doubt after he tested positive for COVID-19 only days before his planned flight to Melbourne.