SA government slammed over 'cruel and uncaring' Olympic quarantine

The Australian Olympic Committee has issued a statement criticising the South Australian government for imposing what is effectively a 28-day quarantine on athletes returning to the state after the Tokyo Olympics.

Some 58 members of the Olympic team are set to return to South Australia following the completion of the Tokyo Games, however 16 of those who are completing hotel quarantine in Sydney have been told they will have to complete an additional two weeks upon arriving in South Australia.

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The AOC put out a statement on Wednesday evening, criticising the decision and describing it as 'cruel and uncaring'.

CEO Matt Carroll said the decision went against advice they had sought from the Australian Institute of Sport about the impact spending prolonged time in the Tokyo bubble would have on athletes.

He also added it was a particularly unreasonable demand of athletes, considering the entire team had been fully vaccinated before travelling to Japan.

"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," Carroll 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."

Carroll said that the team was not seeking any treatment, and added that South Australia was the only state imposing the additional quarantine on those who had completed hotel quarantine in Sydney.

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Additionally, Carroll said it had been agreed by national cabinet earlier in the pandemic that double quarantine arrangements were not appropriate.

There is not guarantee the athletes would be allowed to quarantine at home either, with the AOC claiming they would still be required to apply to do so.

Even then, Carroll argued, it was demonstrably unfair to deny them the opportunity to have family visit them, or to subject the rest of their household to the same quarantine arrangements.

"Every COVID-safe procedure we have asked the Olympians to undergo, they have complied with," he said.

"They can safely transfer to their home states after the mandatory hotel quarantine period without interacting with the public.

"Athletes subject to home quarantine will not be permitted a welcome home hug.

"Either the athlete's family must move away, the athlete must find a way of isolating from the family or the entire family goes into quarantine.

"That is not an acceptable option for someone who is fully vaccinated and who has already just completed two weeks' quarantine."

Chief medical officer for the AIS, Dr David Hughes, said that while he respected the South Australian government's desire to maintain the border, a 28-day quarantine period was 'unjustified'.

"To have individuals quarantined for such a lengthy period of time is in my opinion unreasonable and cannot be scientifically justified," he said.

"It poses a significant risk to the physical and mental wellbeing of the individuals concerned."

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