Novak Djokovic’s deportation has raised the issue of the right to remain unvaccinated

[webfact]

On the practice court at the Fever-Tree Championships, Queen's Club, June 2018.//File photo: Wiipedia

 

Tennis star Novak Djokovic has had his visa to enter Australia dramatically revoked on his arrival in Melbourne yesterday.

 

The world number one was held in the city's airport for several hours before border forces announced he had not met entry rules and would be deported.

 

It came a day after he was granted an exemption from vaccination rules to play in the Australian Open.

 

Australian PM Scott Morrison said no one was above the rules, and Djokovic is reportedly challenging the decision.

 

Djokovic has not spoken about his vaccination status, but last year he said he was "opposed to vaccination".

 

Thailand’s position

 

In November, Thailand’s Ministry of Public Health called on unvaccinated people to get their shots against Covid-19 or they may face restrictions.

The call came as the ministry planned to ramp up its inoculation campaign to achieve a target of administering one hundred million doses.

 

Global Reactions

 

This week French President Emmanuel Macron has said he wants to make daily life more inconvenient for unvaccinated people in the country, which is facing a spike in coronavirus infections driven by the omicron variant.

 

“I am not for pissing off the French … however, the unvaccinated, I really want to piss them off,” he said in an interview published Tuesday in the French newspaper Le Parisien.

 

“I’m not going to throw [the unvaccinated] in prison. I am not going to get them vaccinated by force. … We put pressure on the unvaccinated by limiting their access to social activities as much as possible.”

 

Macron’s remarks come as his government moves to impose more restrictions on the unvaccinated. 

 

France requires people to present proof of vaccination, recovery from past infection or a recent negative coronavirus test to access venues such as restaurants and cinemas. But the government is pushing through a bill that would remove the option of providing a negative test for entry.

 

Vietnam adds pressure too

 

Also in December, Vietnam’s Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh called for punishing people who refuse to be vaccinated without valid reasons.

 

At a meeting with the National Steering Committee for Covid-19 Prevention and Control, he said authorities should convince people to get immunized, and consider banning people from leaving their home or making them pay the treatment fees if they contract Covid if they refuse the shots.

 

WHO seems to sit on the fence?

 

A World Health Organization official said recently that unvaccinated people are “dying unnecessarily” from Covid-19, citing global vaccine inequities as one of the main obstacles to immunizing more people against the virus.

 

“You can’t have it both ways, where you have everything opened up and you have everybody living and pretending that this is over while you have your ICUs full,” a WHO spokesperson said. 

 

WHO has been pushing for greater vaccine access across the globe, and has encouraged people to get vaccinated as soon as they're able.

 

However, when asked how many of their own staff had been vaccinated, Dr. Margaret Harris, a World Health Organization spokesperson said, “We won't have that because it's confidential," 

 

With the World trying to cope with this unique pandemic, should we risk letting people like Novak Djokovic continue to stick to his principals of not being vaccinated, while still wishing to roam free?

 

Governments everywhere will now have to explain what their own rules and regulations will be on people who remain unvaccinated by choice.

 

Certainly, travel restrictions will be tougher!

 

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[GeorgeCross]

world number one.. Novax Deported!

 

 

[RandiRona]

If you are in a country, you follow the law

Of that country, why there should be an exception? Like If you have a freedom of speech in states, doesnt mean you have it here in Thailand as well. Djokovic's has right to be not vaccinated. Australia has right to decide if they accept it or not. Only it should have been handled better, not give someone visa and later rescind due to public pressure.

Edited January 6, 2022 by RandiRona

[ozimoron]

The thread title does not reflect the issue or the linked news article.

 

Nobody in Australia is forced to have the vaccines. Their access to high exposure sites is being restricted based on vaccination status and entry to the country is restricted to people with a vaccine or a recent recovered infection.

 

The 64 million dollar question here is did Djokovic lie to obtain a medical exemption or did somebody in Australia put their thumb on the scale to bypass the rules before the inevitable public outcry forced a reversal. This is not necessarily Djokovic's fault. We will see.

[mtls2005]

28 minutes ago, ozimoron said:

a recent recovered infection.

How recent?

 

I think he's (Djokovic) had COVID and recovered, but that may have been in 2019 or 2020?

 

AFAIK, Nadal is vaccinated - he's said he is - and he has just recovered from COVID (December, Abu Dhabi event), and he's been in Melbourne for a week+.

 

 

Edited January 6, 2022 by mtls2005

[ozimoron]

1 minute ago, mtls2005 said:

How recent?

 

I think he's (Djokovic) had COVID and recovered, but that may have been in 2019 or 2020?

 

AFAIK, Nadal is vaccinated - he's said he is - and he has just recovered from COVID (December, Abu Dhabi event), and he's been in Melbourne for a week+.

 

 

I think it's 6 months. I'm not sure and couldn't be bothered checking. He either lied or someone in authority went into bat for him and will et their fingers burnt..

[Captain Monday]

Djoko is not forced to vaccinate. Giving special permissions to big sports stars is the discrimination.

 

[VocalNeal]

20 minutes ago, ozimoron said:

Their access to high exposure sites is being restricted based on vaccination status and entry to the country is restricted to people with a vaccine or a recent recovered infection.

Then he should have been allowed entry but denied access to the courts.

[ozimoron]

1 minute ago, VocalNeal said:

Then he should have been allowed entry but denied access to the courts.

Nobody is allowed into Australia without a vaccine or very recent infection with medical exemption certificate. He should not have been allowed to fly at all.

[bdenner]

In Australia an exemption is decided on by 2 independent panels on the evidence presented, they do not know the applicant, 3 other players also have the exemption and are on the practice courts now. I guess Djokovic (and the system) was subject to the extreme public outcry because of his profile and I assume this prompted the Immigration office to put his visa application under the microscope and they found something.

[Swiss1960]

King No-Vax Joker... couldn't have happened to a nicer guy ????????????

[OJAS]

I trust that the relevant French, British and American authorities are sitting up and taking note with the aim of ensuring that Djokovic is denied visas to enable him to participate in any of the remaining 3 Grand Slam tournaments this year (French Open, Wimbledon & American Open), without any prior faffing-about similar to that which their Aussie counterparts have indulged in.

 

Edited January 6, 2022 by OJAS

[newnative]

     Certainly he has the right to remain unvaccinated.  But, that can mean being barred in various places, events, etc.  He needs to accept that.  Glad Australia is, apparently, kicking him out.  He should not have been granted the exemption in the first place.  

[Russell17au]

The exemption was not granted by the Australian Government. It was granted by Tennis Australia and that makes a big difference. He must meet all the same requirements as anyone else entering Australia and it appears that he has failed to produce certain documentation to Australian Border Forces which is required by every person who wants to enter Australia. At a guess I would say that because he is number 1 tennis champion in the world and Tennis Australia gave him an exemption he thought that he would just waltz into Australia with his nose in the air and without abiding by all the rules and the paperwork that is required. Deport him the same as what is done to the average person, do not treat him as something special.

[Paul Henry]

The reason he was denied entry was he had an incorrect visa. Claiming exception from vaccination requires different documentation which he did not have. 

[Jonnapat]

Well done Australia for not letting fame and fortune influence their decision. 

[DefaultName]

If you don't want to get vaccinated, don't get vaccinated.  But you can't also expect to mix with those who are.

[hotchilli]

7 hours ago, webfact said:

Australian PM Scott Morrison said no one was above the rules, and Djokovic is reportedly challenging the decision.

Good decision, Djokovic made his choice and Australia have made theirs... they can both live with the outcome.

[Lacessit]

Djokovic ran his own tournament in Adria, against medical advice and without much precautions. Quite a few players were infected. He has consistently refused to confirm his vaccination status. Tennis Australia and gun-for-hire medicos were too smart by half, cooking up a spurious medical exemption to get him to play.

He's one of the fittest human beings on the planet, two jabs won't hurt him.

Most Australians were outraged at being taken for mugs. Deporting him for failing to follow visa requirements will no doubt outrage the anti-vaxxers too.

[TigerandDog]

7 hours ago, RandiRona said:

If you are in a country, you follow the law

Of that country, why there should be an exception? Like If you have a freedom of speech in states, doesnt mean you have it here in Thailand as well. Djokovic's has right to be not vaccinated. Australia has right to decide if they accept it or not. Only it should have been handled better, not give someone visa and later rescind due to public pressure.

You've got it wrong. The visa was not cancelled because of public pressure.  Despite 2 letters from the Australian govt to both Tennis Australia and the Victorian State Govt stipulating the conditions of entry into Australia for unvaccinated people ( viz. 14 days quarantine required ) Djokovic tried to shortcut the process by saying he had had C19 in the previous 6 months, but he didn't do his research properly on the conditions of entry to Oz. The conditions of entry for those who had had C19 6 months prior to arrival in Australia was that they ALSO had to be double jabbed to be considered as fully vaccinated. Djokovic did not meet those conditions, and Tennis Australia & the Victorian govt issued him with an exemption to play the Aussie Open despite the correspondence they received last November. Djokovic may well have a valid medical reason for not being vaccinated, but he did not use that reason, and has not provided any proof that he does actually have a medical condition that prevents him from being vaccinated. On top of that he has made numerous comments online and in the media clearly putting in the category of an anti vaxer. I don't agree with a lot of things this dumb aussie govt does, but I support this decision 100%.  latest reports are that e will remain in custody ( in a hotel ) until Monday when his appeal goes back before the courts. 

Edited January 6, 2022 by TigerandDog

[TigerandDog]

7 hours ago, bdenner said:

In Australia an exemption is decided on by 2 independent panels on the evidence presented, they do not know the applicant, 3 other players also have the exemption and are on the practice courts now. I guess Djokovic (and the system) was subject to the extreme public outcry because of his profile and I assume this prompted the Immigration office to put his visa application under the microscope and they found something.

those other 3 players are being investigated, and if their situation is the same as Djokovic, they will be deported. But I'm guessing they were able to provide the required documentation to support their exemption, which is why they are on the practice courts and not in custody

[Mavideol]

sure he has the right to remain unvaccinated but for sure I also have the right not letting him into my home

[daveAustin]

Global icon potentially deported from former penal colony. Oh what fun times we live in! Folk wouldn’t be as bothered if it were Joe nobody as is the case with others allowed to play. Anti-vax, No-vax (????) blah blah, as long as one tests negative what’s the big deal? But that’s the law? I get the ire, but for the cheap seats—the elites are different to the rest of us. He’ll get the push though because of the stink it’d create. Just think the whole thing’s a bit of a joke. Aus has gone from horizontal laidback to borderline oppressive.

[James105]

He has already had covid and recovered without issue.   Making him take a vaccine that neither prevents catching or transmitting it is stupid and unnecessary, especially so with someone who has natural immunity following infection.   Australia has been denying their citizens their basic human rights for months on end, killed innocent puppies (link) to prevent covid spreading and yet somehow Djokovic is the bad guy here?   ????????

 

 

[Bagwain]

1 hour ago, DefaultName said:

If you don't want to get vaccinated, don't get vaccinated.  But you can't also expect to mix with those who are.

So you promote apartheid?

[RichardColeman]

I believe people should abide by the laws of entry to a country - in these times of pandemic. 

 

BUT. I cannot help but think of this guy every time I think people like Macron and others threatening the unvaccinated.

 

 

[kennw]

8 hours ago, ozimoron said:

The thread title does not reflect the issue or the linked news article.

 

Nobody in Australia is forced to have the vaccines. Their access to high exposure sites is being restricted based on vaccination status and entry to the country is restricted to people with a vaccine or a recent recovered infection.

 

The 64 million dollar question here is did Djokovic lie to obtain a medical exemption or did somebody in Australia put their thumb on the scale to bypass the rules before the inevitable public outcry forced a reversal. This is not necessarily Djokovic's fault. We will see.

I am in Australia currently but, retiree in Thailand, Djokovic was denied entry here because he would not say if he was vaxed or not. No personal health details were requested but it is a condition of entry. Since he would not say yes or no, the assumption had to be by the immigration was that it is no and thus required to quarantine. He apparently requested exemption on the basis he had previously had covid within the last 6 months. But he did not provide evidence to show that he had already had covid within the last 6 months as per the exemption condition. Many ask why he could play 33 tournament games during the period and still be quarantined as required before travelling. The current court case where he is contesting his visa refusal is dependent on him able to produce evidence of his prior covid  and quarantine requirements. 

[humqdpf]

Even if he has had Covid, does not matter. I know folks who have had it twice.

 

There are rights. For instance, I have the right to walk around naked. But only in private. If I insist on walking around in public areas naked, I will be arrested.

 

I have the right to refuse the vaccine. But in doing so, I will have to restrict myself in certain ways. For instance, I would have to stay away from people who are old or have underlying conditions (this would preclude me working with them, for instance). It would also preclude my being able to cross certain borders as long as the pandemic exists.

 

Some countries may operate a medical opt-out. And that is up to them. Just as in certain countries it is ok to smoke marijuana, in others that would get you a jail sentence.

 

As regards a certain tennis player, I think that he should be treated like everyone else. Being a tennis player is not a medical condition. If he does not have a medical condition that allows him to opt-out, then he should be excluded like everyone else. I mean, I personally would not take up Australian citizenship because they even excluded their own citizens during certain periods of the pandemic but that is their business, their rules. And if you want to become an Aussie citizen or play professional tennis there, you should be treated just like any other person.

[PETERTHEEATER]

I suggest that Jock o vitch applies to play in the Scottish Open next year.......????

[Chris.B]

Well done Australia! If that was Britain, he'd be having tea in no. 10 with the Prime Minister by now.  ☹️☹️