Posted 08/11/2021 at 12:04 pm
(Credit: Matt Roberts/Getty Images via AFP)
Australian athletes returning from the Olympic Games will have to undergo an extraordinary 28-day quarantine upon return to the southern state of Australia, due to new anti-Covid measures put in place by regional authorities, a decision that has angered many sporting authorities in the country.
All travelers arriving into Australian territory from abroad must generally respect the 14-day quarantine.
But the state government of South Australia, whose capital is Adelaide, has decided to double the quarantine period for passengers who were unable to return from abroad by direct flight.
Fifty-six athletes from the Australian delegation at the Games were impressed by this new measure. Sixteen of them are already in Sydney, where they landed from Tokyo.
Australian Olympic Committee President Matt Carroll reacted, saying, “While other countries celebrate the return of their athletes, we have treated ourselves with the most cruel and disgraceful treatment.”
“He is punished for standing out at the Olympic Games and proudly representing his country”, the official continued, protesting the fate of the Australian athletes, who returned from the Olympic event with 46 medals, 17 of them. Gold, which put Australia in sixth place. medal board place
“In my opinion, isolating individuals for such a long period is irrational and cannot be justified scientifically,” said David Hughes, Australian Institute of Sport medical officer.
As of this Wednesday, the state government of South Australia has not responded to the criticisms.
Thanks to its measures, Australia recorded just over 37,000 cases and suffered 944 deaths, with a population of 25 million residents, according to health ministry figures.
However, residents of the country’s largest cities have been imprisoned for several weeks due to a rise in Delta-type cases since early June.
