Djokovic lawyers say COVID infection gave him Australia exemption
Jan 8, 2022: Novak Djokovic, the world number one in men’s tennis, was given a medical exemption from the COVID-19 vaccine to enter Australia because he contracted the disease last month, his lawyers have argued in court documents.
Djokovic was denied entry to Melbourne’s airport after border officials revoked his visa for failing to meet the entry requirement that all non-citizens be fully vaccinated against COVID-19.
In a petition filed in court on Saturday ahead of Monday’s hearing on his visa revocation, Djokovic said he had been granted immunity from tournament organizer Tennis Australia, along with a follow-up letter from the Home Office. He is said to have been allowed to enter the country. The Serbian, hoping to win his 21st Grand Slam at the Australian Open later this month, is in his third day in immigration custody in Melbourne – a case that has caused a stir in sports, politics and diplomacy.
A vocal opponent of vaccine mandates, Djokovic has been confined in a modest hotel after his visa was cancelled due to problems with the medical exemption from the country’s immigration requirement for coronavirus vaccination that he presented.
The drama has sparked tensions between Serbia and Australia and has become a flashpoint for opponents of the vaccine mandate around the world.
Novak Djokovic returned his first positive COVID-19 test on December 16 but by December 30 had not had a fever or respiratory symptoms of COVID-19 in the last 72 hours.
Consequently, on January 1, it said, he received a document from Home Affairs telling him his responses indicated that he met the requirements for a quarantine-free arrival into Australia.
Many countries allow recent COVID infections as an exemption for vaccine requirements. The Australian federal government issued a letter shortly after Djokovic’s arrival stating that it had informed Tennis Australia that this was not necessarily the case in the country.
The federal and Victorian state governments and Tennis Australia have denied responsibility for the dispute.
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