C19 and Tennis

[ti-amie]

[JazzNU]

Just looking briefly at different comments on social media and articles at the fallout from this, it seems like it'd be much less of a PR hit to have made him stay home than allow him in. Tennis community may not have liked it, but the Aussie public appears to be very upset with this. Things still appear to be super strict there and this is coming off as something a privileged few would be able to do.

I don't think it's just because the who is not a likable guy. But if Andy is somehow allowed to travel outside of the previous set days, I guess we'll see if there's a similar reaction to an exemption being made.

[meganfernandez]

So Andy, asshat, Madison, Denis Kudla, and Massu all with positives. Seems like a lot, but maybe it's just because they are players we know.

Now Davidovich Fokina, too

[JTContinental]

Sloane Stephens announced on her Twitter feed today that her aunt and grandmother have both died of covid since Christmas

[ponchi101]

A bit of confusing reporting as the number changes between 2 or 3 players, but it seems that one of the planes carrying as much as 47 players had that number of players testing positive for Covid upon arrival to Australia.
Now all those players need to quarantine completely.
Not starting well. And I don't understand. Here in lowly COL we can get an antigen test, with results, in 4 hours. Players could have done that during the day prior to departure.

[Deuce]

This is bizarre.
The article states "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."

One would assume that everyone on those flights (not just "players and officials") would have to test negative just before getting on the plane - literally just hours before.
Yet 3 people on those flights tested positive upon landing.
How does this occur? Different types of tests at the take-off and landing points? Either the negative or positive test is inaccurate? The 3 people who tested positive upon landing in Australia were not tested before boarding the plane?

[meganfernandez]

This is bizarre.
The article states "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."

One would assume that everyone on those flights (not just "players and officials") would have to test negative just before getting on the plane - literally just hours before.
Yet 3 people on those flights tested positive upon landing.
How does this occur? Different types of tests at the take-off and landing points? Either the negative or positive test is inaccurate? The 3 people who tested positive upon landing in Australia were not tested before boarding the plane?

I would have thought the negative test had to be a day or two before the flight. If it's hours before, they would be doing a rapid test somewhere on the day of the flight. I don't know... it's a crazy virus, some tests are wrong, etc. Glad they are testing as much as they are.

[meganfernandez]

Andreescu's coach tested positive in Melbourne. He said he tested negative before the flight -and revealed it was within the 72-hour window before departure, so that was the lead time we were wondering about. Said he followed all protocols in Dubai, where they were training, and doesn't know how he contracted it. Said everyone else on his team tested negative in Melbourne... but of course that could change.

[JazzNU]

A bit of confusing reporting as the number changes between 2 or 3 players, but it seems that one of the planes carrying as much as 47 players had that number of players testing positive for Covid upon arrival to Australia.
Now all those players need to quarantine completely.
Not starting well. And I don't understand. Here in lowly COL we can get an antigen test, with results, in 4 hours. Players could have done that during the day prior to departure.

The ESPN story has no players testing positive on the affected flights. Players quarantined because they were deemed close contacts from being on the flights, but that it was aircrew and a passenger that was not a player. Two on the LA flight and one on the flight from Abu Dhabi.

[JazzNU]

Andreescu's coach tested positive in Melbourne. He said he tested negative before the flight -and revealed it was within the 72-hour window before departure, so that was the lead time we were wondering about. Said he followed all protocols in Dubai, where they were training, and doesn't know how he contracted it. Said everyone else on his team tested negative in Melbourne... but of course that could change.

This gave me a bit of a laugh. I personally wasn't wondering how anyone on Bianca's team would've gotten it. I'm guessing he did follow protocols in Dubai, but Bianca wasn't competing there, just training, so she wasn't under the same restrictions as others for whatever the tournament imposed. Bianca has posted plenty during her time there, and among other places, she's been to the pool, to the museum, to some very cool looking dinners. I watched one video super confused about the masking at one restaurant because yikes, it felt like a potential problem. So though they were very likely following all local protocols, by no means were they just training. Do I know for certain he was with her at all of these places? No. But definitely at the museum and at least one of the dinners.


Players have a nice set up for quarantine all things considered. Maybe there are some exceptions, but it seems as if hotel rooms have rather expansive floor to ceiling windows, so a ton of light coming in and they have an exercise bike in their room too.

[Deuce]

Bianca has posted plenty during her time there, and among other places, she's been to the pool, to the museum, to some very cool looking dinners. I watched one video super confused about the masking at one restaurant because yikes, it felt like a potential problem. So though they were very likely following all local protocols, by no means were they just training. Do I know for certain he was with her at all of these places? No. But definitely at the museum and at least one of the dinners.

^ This is disappointing - if not very surprising. At best, this behaviour is careless. At worst, it is incredibly irresponsible and selfish.
This seems to be a prime example of the privilege and feeling of invincibility that so often afflicts 'rich and famous' people... sigh...

After being told every single day for 10 months exactly what we should and should not be doing, it is absolutely astounding that anyone would think that it's perfectly fine to do what one normally did in foreign countries before the virus - go sightseeing, go to museums, visit restaurants, explore the cities...

This has turned into a big mess, with all that's happening now with some players not wearing masks on the flights, the positive tests, the Australian citizens objecting to the players coming in, etc. And it will very likely get even more messy in the days to come. It's becoming rather apparent that scheduling the Aussie Open at this time was not a good idea.

I love tennis as much as anyone. But I value people's health more than I love tennis. Is it worth all of this trouble - and potential danger - just to hold a bloody tennis tournament so that the players can have fun and make some money, and fans be entertained?
My answer is no. Time to cut the losses and have everyone go home - literally HOME to their houses, condos, mansions, whatever - (after the quarantine period for some), and start playing again only when this virus is under control - even if that takes a year or two.

[meganfernandez]

A bit of confusing reporting as the number changes between 2 or 3 players, but it seems that one of the planes carrying as much as 47 players had that number of players testing positive for Covid upon arrival to Australia.
Now all those players need to quarantine completely.
Not starting well. And I don't understand. Here in lowly COL we can get an antigen test, with results, in 4 hours. Players could have done that during the day prior to departure.

The ESPN story has no players testing positive on the affected flights. Players quarantined because they were deemed close contacts from being on the flights, but that it was aircrew and a passenger that was not a player. Two on the LA flight and one on the flight from Abu Dhabi.

i believe Allie Riske's trainer or coach was one of the positives.

[ti-amie]

A bit of confusing reporting as the number changes between 2 or 3 players, but it seems that one of the planes carrying as much as 47 players had that number of players testing positive for Covid upon arrival to Australia.
Now all those players need to quarantine completely.
Not starting well. And I don't understand. Here in lowly COL we can get an antigen test, with results, in 4 hours. Players could have done that during the day prior to departure.

The ESPN story has no players testing positive on the affected flights. Players quarantined because they were deemed close contacts from being on the flights, but that it was aircrew and a passenger that was not a player. Two on the LA flight and one on the flight from Abu Dhabi.

i believe Allie Riske's trainer or coach was one of the positives.

Last night they said it was Lauren Davis coach.

[meganfernandez]

The ESPN story has no players testing positive on the affected flights. Players quarantined because they were deemed close contacts from being on the flights, but that it was aircrew and a passenger that was not a player. Two on the LA flight and one on the flight from Abu Dhabi.

i believe Allie Riske's trainer or coach was one of the positives.

Last night they said it was Lauren Davis coach.

Oh, that's right. Also, there are now 4 infected flights. And Ons Jabeur just replied to me on Twitter. This is probably a good time to talk to a favorite player on social media, if they are quarantined. Nothing else to do. Ons is up right now!

I think it's too brutal to not let someone go outside for fresh air for 2 weeks, no matter how nice the hotel room is. I hope they find a way to at least get these people outside for a little bit each day, safely. Somewhere at the hotel - even the roof. Give them whatever mask you have to, clear the way, disinfect every area they walk through. It can and should be done.

Ons posted a video of her and two people jogging around connected hotel rooms. They are standard rooms, standard size, not the suites some players have posted from. They're on Day 3. The video alone made me stir crazy.

[JazzNU]

^ This is disappointing - if not very surprising. At best, this behaviour is careless. At worst, it is incredibly irresponsible and selfish.
This seems to be a prime example of the privilege and feeling of invincibility that so often afflicts 'rich and famous' people... sigh...

After being told every single day for 10 months exactly what we should and should not be doing, it is absolutely astounding that anyone would think that it's perfectly fine to do what one normally did in foreign countries before the virus - go sightseeing, go to museums, visit restaurants, explore the cities...

Most of the things I mentioned were on IG Stories, so can't be posted and they also disappear after 24 hours. But she did post one of the restaurant visits on her regular page. It's the one that made me cringe the most of what she posted. That guy is just so close to her and neither is wearing a mask and you'd have to assume he's doing this at many tables a night. Just seems careless even if it's allowed there. Who knows where the coach caught it, but things like this don't inspire confidence that the best and safest decisions were being made over the last 3 weeks.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CJTueEcgJoJ/