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New Zealand doubles player Artem Sitak has added a new perspective to the firestorm of the Covid-19 quarantine debate that has engulfed the preparation for the Australian Open.
Sitak was one of 47 players on the two flights from Los Angeles to Melbourne that included four passengers who tested positive for coronavirus.
Players have now been forced into 14 days of harsh quarantine in hotel rooms, which will greatly affect their preparations for the first Grand Slam of the year.
Some players have complained of torture in quarantine and others have claimed that they were not aware of the risks before traveling to Australia, or that only sections of a plane with confirmed cases would be forced to isolate themselves.
Players Yulia Putinseva and Sorana Cirstea said that they may have skipped the Australian Open if they had known there would be such strict rules about close COVID-19 contacts.
“What I don’t understand is why no one ever told us, if a person on board is sure that the entire plane must be isolated. I would think twice before coming here, ”Putinseva wrote on Twitter.
But Sitak exploded some myths in a video shared on social media.
“I wanted to clarify something,” Sitak said from his hotel room.
“We had a call with Tennis Australia about a month ago and there were not many players on that call, which surprised me.
“But hey, that’s how it was.
“Basically Tennis Australia, the organizers, told us the risks we were going to take and mentioned that if someone tests positive on the flight, the health authorities will decide whether to quarantine all the flights or simply isolate the compartments of the plane.
“Now, in our case, where the flight attendant tested positive, of course the entire plane must be quarantined.
