Saturday, November 4, 2023

Novak Djokovic barred from US due to COVID vaccine policy.

Date:

International Travelers Must Be Vaccinated Against COVID-19: Djokovic Denied Entry to Miami Open

Novak Djokovic, the world’s number one tennis player, has been denied entry to the Miami Open after being refused an exemption that would have allowed him to enter the United States without being vaccinated against COVID-19. The tournament director, James Blake, confirmed that Djokovic had been ruled out of the competition, despite attempts to secure a travel exemption.

International travelers are required to be vaccinated against COVID-19, and Djokovic had hoped to be granted special permission to enter the country. However, the policy is expected to be lifted when the government ends its COVID-19 emergency declarations on May 11.

Tournament organizers said they had “exhausted all the options” in an effort to secure Djokovic a travel exemption. The 22-time Grand Slam winner has also withdrawn from the Indian Wells Open.

“We tried to get Novak Djokovic to be allowed to get an exemption, but that wasn’t able to happen,” Blake told the Tennis Channel on Friday. “Obviously, we’re one of the premier tournaments in the world, we’d like to have the best players that can play. We did all that we could. We tried to talk to the government, but that’s out of our hands.”

Djokovic has previously missed the Australian Open after being deported from that country due to his vaccination status. He has said that he would skip Grand Slams rather than have a COVID shot.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and the state’s two US senators were among those calling on the Biden administration to allow Djokovic to enter the US and compete at the tournament he has won six times.

In conclusion, international travelers must be vaccinated against COVID-19, and Djokovic was denied entry to the Miami Open after being refused an exemption. Despite attempts by tournament organizers to secure a travel exemption, Djokovic was ruled out of the competition. The policy is expected to be lifted when the government ends its COVID-19 emergency declarations on May 11.

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