Two COVID-19 cases on Australian Open flight, arrivals to quarantine

Two coronavirus infections were reported on Saturday on a flight to the Australian Open, forcing two weeks of strict hotel quarantine for all the tennis players and entourage on board.

The positive cases were recorded after the charter flight from Los Angeles landed in Melbourne for the tennis grand slam.

Health officials in Victoria state, where Melbourne is the capital, said an aircrew member and Australian Open participant who is not a player had been transferred to a health hotel following positive test results for the new coronavirus.

"The passengers who have been designated close contacts will be unable to access training and will undertake a standard 14-day quarantine period," a representative for COVID-19 Quarantine Victoria said.

In quarantine, players must train indoors, instead of being allowed out for five hours training per day, part of conditions that allowed the event to go ahead.

"Unfortunately, we have been informed by the health authorities that two people on your flight AR7493 from LAX that arrived at 5.15am on Friday, January 15 have returned positive COVID-19 PCR tests on arrival in Melbourne," said a message posted on Instagram by Mexico's Santiago Gonzalez, who is ranked 48 on the doubles circuit.

"From having 5 hours of training in a bubble to this ... (strict quarantine x 15 days). I will be showing you my workouts x Instagram (inside the room)," Uruguayan world number 68 Pablo Cuevas said on Twitter.