Tennis activities resumed emphatically with the dawn of a new year. The Australian city of Melbourne is currently playing host to 6 tournaments, but everything is now in jeopardy, including the Australian Open 2021, after 1 positive COVID-19 test.

Such is the threat that the pandemic brings to society. Melbourne has been lying low in terms of Coronavirus cases. The city isn’t on high-alert as only 6 cases per day are currently being tracked.

However, the organizers of the Australian Open aren’t taking things lightly, and have established a secure system equipped to prevent the virus. 

COVID-19 puts a halt to all tennis activities at Melbourne Park

Coronavirus has somehow sneaked into corridors of Melbourne Park. This legendary tennis venue is hosting hundreds of athletes who are juggling between 6 different tournaments.

But now, a security guard at the Australian Open quarantine hotel has tested positive, which has led to severe action from the officials.

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All matches at Melbourne Park that had been scheduled for tomorrow have been canceled. This has come as a direct result of one positive COVID-19 test, and the organizers are largely worried about the safety of the players. 

As per George Bellshaw, about 500-600 players are now being kept in isolation due to the fear of a possible spread. This is something that has blown up at a large scale, and there will be massive contact tracing to find out who the security guard has interacted with in the past few days. 

Furthermore, the breaking news is that all the events for tomorrow have been canceled. That is just the immediate consequence, and one can expect Tennis Australia to take further drastic measures, as the safety of the players will be the first and foremost priority. 

The news wasn’t directly conveyed to the players, and they’re unsure about how things will progress from here. 25-year-old Nick Kyrgios posted a tweet about hearing the news and wrote: “Am I playing tomorrow?”

What does it mean for the Australian Open 2021?

The Australian Open 2021 is scheduled for February 8, and we’re just 5 days away from the start of the spectacle. However, this unfortunate development at this hour has put things under question. 

First, the organizers would have to sort out the ongoing crisis and test the players yet again to ensure that none of them have contracted the deadly virus. It would take quite some time and there’s no word about the Australian Open 2021 yet.

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