Australia Shadow Home Affairs Minister expresses her concern over exemption from vaccination for Novak Djokovic
Novak Djokovic (Image Credit: Twitter)
Serbia Tennis legend Novak Djokovic‘s suspense about playing the Australia Open is growing day by day. Since his deportation by the Australian authorities on the ground of non-vaccination, he has missed a few tournaments. Not to forget, his anti-vaccine stance has led to him missing quite a few tournaments this season. However, the legendary player hasn’t changed his stance even though it might jeopardize his career.
Meanwhile, the Australian government has recently allowed non-waxed people to enter their shores. After this, Tennis fans are expecting to see Djokovic playing in the Australia Open 2023 and have a chance to reclaim the title. In the midst of this, Australia Shadow Home Affairs Minister, Karen Andrews has expressed her concerns about the possible development.
It would be a slap on the face of vaccinated people: Karen Andrews
The minister said that if the Serbian is exempted and allowed to play AO 2022, people who got vaccinated might feel cheated. She also raised her concern about the other players asking for the same exemption.
“It would be a slap in the face for those people in Australia who did the right thing, got vaccinated, did everything that they needed to do, if all of a sudden Novak Djokovic is allowed back into the country, simply because he is a high-ranking tennis player with many millions of dollars,” Andrews said during an interview with ABC Radio Melbourne.
“So if immigration now chooses to make a special announcement for Novak Djokovic, the obvious question is what are you going to do about anyone else in similar circumstances?” Andrews continued.
“It was a valid reason for cancelation because the court upheld the cancelation. But we all remember that there were a whole range of circumstances that impacted the situation at the time and that included what Mr. Djokovic actually had been doing overseas before he came to Australia, where he tested positive. All of those stories played out at the time as well,” Andrews said.
