Olympian quarantine call cruel and unnecessary

Fully vaccinated Olympians being forced to quarantine for 28 days is the latest example of our health experts losing the plot.

Australia is becoming known around the world as a country that has “lost the plot”.

Videos of chief health officers across Australia saying ridiculous things regularly go viral with international audiences astounded by the “health advice” about online shopping, sock drawers, touching footballs and the dangers of being “friendly”.

Now, another sign of madness from possibly our maddest state, South Australia.

The Steven Marshall government has decided, in its infinite wisdom, to ignore expert medical advice and force fully vaccinated Olympians returning from Tokyo to complete 28 days of quarantine.

Gold medallist rowers Spencer Turrin, Alexander Hill, Alexander Purnell and Jack Hargreaves return to Australia. Picture: Getty Images

An unnecessarily harsh, disproportionate response that risks inflicting mental harm on athletes who have proudly represented Australia on the world stage.

Sixteen South Australian-based Olympians, including gold medallist Alexander Hill, who are completing 14 days of mandatory hotel quarantine in Sydney will be required to undergo a further 14 days of isolation in South Australia before they’re allowed to rejoin the community.

South Australia is the only state imposing this extra period of isolation on Olympians and one can’t help but notice the different treatment AFL players have received compared to athletes representing their country.

Understandably, the Australian Olympic Committee is not impressed, describing the decision as one that “lacks science and common sense”.

In a statement the AOC said the decision to impose a further mandatory quarantine period not only “poses a significant mental health risk for those athletes” but also flies in the face of the expert medical advice.

AOC chief executive officer Matt Carroll said that even national cabinet took a position that double quarantine was unacceptable.

Returning Olympians get set to do 14 days quarantine. Picture: Getty Images

“While other countries are celebrating the return of their athletes, we are subjecting ours to the most cruel and uncaring treatment. They are being punished for proudly representing their country with distinction at the Olympic Games,” he said.

“We are all promoting the obvious benefits of vaccination, but this important layer of protection is not working in favour of these athletes, given this decision. By any measure, this group of returning Olympians is extremely low risk. Not only are our Olympians fully vaccinated, but they have also been living in a highly controlled bubble in Tokyo, taking the upmost precautions – tested daily over many weeks.”

“Every Covid-safe procedure we have asked the Olympians to undergo, they have complied with. They can safely transfer to their home states after the mandatory hotel quarantine period without interacting with the public.”

Australian Institute of Sport chief medical officer Dr David Hughes has also called the decision of the South Australian health bureaucracy “profoundly flawed”.

“To have individuals quarantined for such a lengthy period of time is in my opinion unreasonable and cannot be scientifically justified. It poses a significant risk to the physical and mental wellbeing of the individuals concerned,” he said.

The AOC has tried to make the South Australian government see sense over a number of weeks but their pleas have fallen on deaf ears.

What a terrible message to be sending at a time when we should be promoting vaccinations as a means of restoring our lost freedoms and escaping the current lockdown lunacy.

These athletes are fully vaccinated, tested daily and willing to undergo 14 days of hotel quarantine. To inflict any further period of forced isolation on them is cruel and unnecessary.