Are We Playing With Fire Hosting The Australian Open?
It’s been one year since the corona virus hit our shores and made itself known in dreadful, fatal ways. We’ve experienced periods of prolonged isolation, loss of employment and many businesses sadly folding, not to mention loved ones lost. Our economy is consequently suffering in view of 2020 with rising unemployment and high government debt.
Our mental and emotional states were tested across the board. Travel plans were cancelled and mandatory masks became a normality. We perceived the feeling of disconnection through much of turbulent 2020 and learned to decipher what’s most valuable and important in life.
However, as we continue to observe the rest of the globe, we can be thankful we live in beautiful Australia. The covid-19 response within our continent was prompt and effective, although often inconsistently regulated, due to the unpredictability of the pandemic’s attributes and transmission. Australians have risen up to the challenge and banded together in true Aussie spirit to come this far.
Now the Australian Open is upon us and as covid-19 creeps into our country by way of returning travellers from overseas, is it a fitting decision to hold the event instead of postponing it? I find the tennis tournament with its world-class athletes exciting and enjoyable, however it poses a huge risk by potentially facilitating the spread of the corona virus, regardless of the mandatory precautions in place. Some tennis associated arrivals have already tested positive to corona upon entering Australia.
Tennis Australia organised charter flights that brought 1,200 players, support staff and their families to Melbourne and Adelaide. That’s a lot of people visiting from all over the world. Let’s hope there are no ramifications for our beloved home.