Tennis star who called quarantine ‘unfair’ returns positive test
A rising tennis star who complained about being forced to quarantine ahead of the Australian Open has tested positive for COVID-19.
Badosa has tested positive for COVID-19.
Spanish tennis player Paula Badosa took to social media on Thursday night to confirm she had tested positive for COVID-19.
“I’m feeling unwell and have some symptom, but I’ll try to recover as soon as possible listening to the doctors,” the world No.67 wrote.
“I’ve been taken to a health hotel to self-isolate and be monitored.
“Thanks for your support. We’ll be back stronger.”
It’s been reported the 23-year-old travelled to Melbourne on the same flight from Abu Dhabi as the coach of US Open champion Bianca Andreescu, Sylvain Bruneau.
Bruneau was the first person on a tournament charter flight to test positive to COVID-19.
Infections were also detected on charter flights from Doha and Los Angeles, forcing 72 players to be confined to their hotel rooms for two weeks.
Badosa was among players who complained on social media about the strict quarantine.
“At the beginning the rule was the positive section of the plane who was with that person had to quarantine. Not the whole plane,” she wrote in a tweet that has since been deleted.
“Not fair to change the rules at the last moment. And to have to stay in a room with no windows and no air.”
It comes as Premier Daniel Andrews on Thursday confirmed the state would be increasing its weekly cap on international arrivals “very soon”, although fewer foreign students and farm workers will be accommodated than either industry sought.
Victoria has been accepting about 1120 Australians per week since early December, when its hotel quarantine program resumed after the first iteration sparked its deadly second wave of COVID-19.
Thousands of Victorians are still stranded overseas due to the cap, as are international students and seasonal farm workers.
Although insistent it wasn’t possible to allow tens of thousands of seasonal workers and international students into the state, Mr Andrews said he would agree to a “safe” cap number with the federal government.
But Opposition Leader Michael O’Brien said the labour shortage had meant $150,000 worth of celery had gone to waste from one local grower alone.
“We know the federal government has pre-approved 22,000 workers from the South Pacific, from East Timor who are ready, willing and able to come to Australia,” he told reporters.
“All we need is a pathway for those workers to come to Victoria and quarantine.
“The premier just says wait a bit longer, wait a bit longer. Premier, the fruit’s rotting on the vines, the farmers can’t wait any longer.”
A similar pathway should be afforded to give struggling universities surety on international student arrivals, Mr O’Brien said.
It came as Andrews apologised to residents living next to one of the Australian Open quarantine hotels after used PPE from overflowing biohazard bins ended up blowing into their apartment foyer.
He said a garbage truck “turned up late” at the View hotel on St Kilda Road and that arrangements were in place to ensure it did not happen again.
Victoria recorded a 15th straight day without a new locally acquired case of coronavirus on Thursday.