MELBOURNE, Feb 14, 2021 (BSS/AFP) – Australian Open boss Craig Tiley
Sunday confirmed Michail Pervolarakis tested negative to Covid-19 before he
left Melbourne after the Greek player set off alarm bells by returning a
positive result on arrival in South Africa.
Pervolarakis played singles and doubles in the ATP Cup, a warm-up for the
Australian Open, before travelling from Australia to South Africa via the
Middle East.
“I am completely asymptomatic at the moment and will have to quarantine in
an isolation facility in Potchefstroom,” Pervolarakis wrote on Instagram.
A later post said he had been advised by a nurse that he likely contracted
the virus on the plane or during a stopover on Doha.
Tiley said all relevant information had been passed to health authorities
in Australia on Saturday.
“While there’s a link in the fact he left here, on the ninth (of February),
five days ago, it’s going to be really up to the advice of the health
authorities, like we’ve done every single day,” he told broadcaster Channel
Nine.
“We just provide them the information and then they provide advice and make
decisions.
“The good news for us is he tested (negative) and then left, before he
tested positive,” he added, while playing down any concern for world number
six Stefanos Tsitsipas, who was in the same Greek team as Pervolarakis at the
ATP Cup.
“There’s a fair bit of time and travel time. And of course, he’s travelling
to most of the hot spots of the world and the chances of becoming infected in
those hot spots is fairly high.”
The Australian Open has endured significant disruption because of Covid-19,
and started three weeks late to allow international players to quarantine.
On Saturday, fans were barred and players went into a biosecure “bubble” as
Victoria state’s six million residents began a snap, five-day lockdown after
an outbreak at an airport hotel.