Novak Djokovic stuck in Melbourne airport over COVID-19 vaccine exemption confusion
CBSN
Novak Djokovic was stuck in an Australian airport on Wednesday as officials tried to work through a visa issue related to his COVID-19 vaccine exemption for the upcoming Australian Open, Reuters reported. The news comes amid controversy over the decision to grant the top-ranked men's tennis player a medical exemption to enter the tournament.
On Tuesday, Djokovic announced that he had been granted a medical exemption for the Open — a decision that quickly sparked backlash in Australia. Djokovic has not publicly disclosed whether he has been vaccinated.
Tournament officials said in a statement that he was granted the medical exemption after a "rigorous review process" that included two separate independent panels of experts, which are made up of doctors from immunology, infectious disease and general practice.
