Australian Open arrivals affected by 3 positive tests, 47 players forced to quarantine

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 on 8th February.

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 LA 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.