Australian government believes Djokovic’s presence in the country may increase “anti-vaccine sentiment”

The Australian government has decided to cancel Serbian tennis player Novak Djokovic’s visa for the second time because his presence may stoke the anti-vaccine movement against Covid-19, a document published on Saturday shows. In a 258-page document filed in the Federal Court in Melbourne, Australian immigration minister Alex Hawke detailed the reasons why he decided, after five days of consideration, to suspend on Friday the entry permit of the athlete, who arrived in the country with a medical exemption because he was not vaccinated. The minister admits that the presence of Djokovic, who according to medical documents overcame the disease in December, represents a “negligible” risk of spreading the virus, but argued that if he is allowed to stay in the country he can warn the feeling of people who oppose getting vaccinated. Mr Djokovic’s continued presence in Australia may lead to an increase in anti-vaccine sentiment generated in the Australian community, which could lead to an increase in civil unrest of the kind previously experienced in Australia with rallies and protests.” Although 92% of Australia’s target population has already received the full schedule of the drug and is advancing the administration of booster doses, there is a group of thousands of people who have demonstrated during the pandemic against vaccination and the harsh restrictions implemented by the authorities. Some of these anti-vaxxers staged clashes against the police of Melbourne, the city in the world that has spent the most time under strict confinement, adding 262 days in six different periods. Djokovic traveled on January 5 to Melbourne from Spain with a medical exemption to not be vaccinated, having been infected with covid-19 recently, although on arrival the Immigration authorities canceled his visa and detained him. On Monday, a court ordered the release of the tennis player after understanding that he had not been treated with “fairness”, but yesterday the minister again canceled the visa and Djokovic’s lawyers appealed the decision that could lead to his deportation. The Balkan athlete met with his lawyers on Saturday and is expected to spend the night detained in a hotel waiting for a hearing on his deportation tomorrow. It is not immediately known if he will be able to participate in the Australian Open tournament, which begins on Monday, and in whose first round match he would face his compatriot Miomir Kecmanovic.The tennis player admitted on Wednesday that his representatives made “human errors” in his statement to enter Australia, since it was indicated that he had not traveled in the last 14 days previously, And in addition, he acknowledged an “error of judgment” after having attended an interview with the French media L’Equipe on December 18 in Belgrade, despite knowing that he had covid-19.

Original source in Spanish