The Australian Government canceled the visa of Serbian tennis player Novak Djokovic for the second time, This was confirmed this Friday by the Minister of Immigration, Alex Hawke. In an official statement, he explained that it is a decision made for reasons of “health and public order.”
But nevertheless, The Australian authorities decided to postpone Djokovic’s expulsion from the country until the Justice ruled on his case, informed a government lawyer.
In an organized emergency hearing this Friday, Stephen Lloyd, a government attorney, told the judge that Djokovic will not be taken to a detention center before he meets with immigration authorities on Saturday. and that he will not be deported until the court has ruled on the appeal presented by the tennis player.
“Australians have made a lot of sacrifices during this pandemic”
The head of Migrations assured that the Australian Government is “strongly committed to protecting borders”, especially in a context where record numbers of coronavirus infections are recorded worldwide.
“Australians have made a lot of sacrifices during this pandemic and they hope, of course, that the outcome of these sacrifices will be protected, “Prime Minister Scott Morrison added in an official statement.
Djokovic’s novel in Australia
Djokovic arrived in Australia on January 5 with a special medical permit to enter the country with the intention of participating in the Australian Open. The authorities detained him because he did not present the documentation that proves his anticovid vaccination. For this reason, he spent four days in a hotel in the Australian capital until a judge ordered his release on Monday.
The Serbian’s lawyers had presented a statement in which they assured that the tennis player could not be vaccinated because he tested positive for coronavirus last December. “The date of the first positive PCR test for covid was recorded on December 16, 2021,” the document quoted by Australian media noted.
Australia does not allow entry to non-citizens or non-residents who are not fully vaccinated against coronavirus. What it does allow are medical exemptions, but the Government considered Djokovic’s justification insufficient. The Serbian could be seen in a journalistic interview in December, when he allegedly already knew that he had tested positive for COVID.
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