Preparations for the 2021 Australian Open have been rocked by the news that a pair of charter flights carrying 47 of the players have been hit with a Covid-19 outbreak, forcing the players into quarantine ahead of the tournament.
An initial statement from the tournament organizers was posted to social media that laid out the early circumstances of the situation, as 24 players were forced into isolation ahead of the first Grand Slam tournament of the year after a first flight returned positive tests.
“Two positive COVID-19 tests were returned from one of the charter flights to Melbourne in the past 24 hours,” the statement began.
“There were 79 people on the flight, including 67 passengers, of which 24 are players. “The two positive tests have been returned by a member of the flight crew and a passenger who is not a player, who returned a negative test within 72 hours prior to boarding the flight.
