South Australian Olympians Forced Into Double Quarantine

Members of the Australian Olympic Committee have slammed the South Australian government for forcing athletes currently quarantining in Sydney to undertake a further 14-day quarantine upon arrival in Adelaide.

The AOC looked into an exemption for its South Aussie athletes, adding the additional quarantine period poses serious mental health risks.

State government rejected the plea, and 16 national athletes will isolate at their homes for two weeks rather than a second lot of hotel quarantine.

AOC chief executive, Matt Carroll said the ruling is "cruel" to those who have represented Australia in what was one of the more historic Games remembered.

“While other countries are celebrating the return of their athletes, we are subjecting ours to the most cruel and uncaring treatment,” Carroll said.

“They are being punished for proudly representing their country with distinction at the Olympic Games.

“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.”

State premier Steven Marshall explained that the ruling changed recently due to the Modbury cluster, and all rules apply for any person entering the state.

“I know this is heartbreaking, I know that Nicola Spurrier (SA chief public health officer) has agonised over this and that’s why we’ve looked at ways where people can do home-based quarantine.”

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