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Serena Williams Praises Australia’s ‘Insane’ Mandatory Hotel Quarantine
Serena Williams has praised Australia’s strict hotel quarantine system for international arrivals calling it “insane” and “super intense” but necessary.
For Australians, mandatory hotel quarantine – which requires travellers to spend two weeks in hotel rooms immediately after arrival at a cost of $3,000 – has been a way of life since it became one of the first countries in the world to introduce the system in March.
New Zealand has also used the strategy throughout the pandemic and the UK will shortly introduce the border restriction aimed at stopping new variants of coronavirus from taking hold.
Williams is quarantining in Adelaide but is allowed to train at a tennis court for five hours a day – unlike 72 other Australian Open players who were exposed to COVID-19 on special tennis charter flights into Australia and aren’t allowed to leave their hotel rooms at all.
“It’s super, super strict but it’s really good,” the seven-time Australian Open singles champion told ‘The Late Show With Stephen Colbert’ via video link.
“Last I heard Australia had zero cases of COVID so that is – it’s unbelievable right? That’s the whole country. That is really amazing.”
While calling the strategy “insane” and “super intense”, Williams praised the rule as “super good” and backed the Australian government for doing things right.
“Because after that you can have a new normal like what we were used to this time last year in the United States,” she added.
“It’s definitely hard with a three-year-old to be in the hotel all day but it’s worth it because you want everyone to be safe at the end of the day.”
As many as 72 players, including some of the world’s best, are confined to their hotel rooms in “hard isolation” for two weeks and are unable to train for the February 8-21 Grand Slam after some passengers on three charter flights ferrying them to Australia tested positive for the novel...
