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Sep 13, 2020; Flushing Meadows, New York, USA; Common view of Arthur Ashe Stadium at USTA Billie Jean King Nationwide Tennis Heart. Obligatory Credit score: Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY
NEW YORK, Aug 27 (Reuters) – Tennis followers 12 years or older can be required to indicate proof of a COVID-19 vaccine so as to attend the U.S. Open, event officers introduced Friday, simply three days earlier than the principle draw was set to start.
The New York Metropolis mayor’s workplace on Friday mandated proof of vaccine to enter Arthur Ashe Stadium, the place the foremost places on its primetime matches, the USA Tennis Affiliation (USTA) mentioned.
The USTA then elected to increase the vaccine requirement to all attendees 12 years previous or older on the Billie Jean King Nationwide Tennis Heart, no matter which services ticketholders plan to entry.
“Any U.S. Open attendee with tickets to Arthur Ashe Stadium, Louis Armstrong Stadium, the Grandstand, or the grounds of the U.S. Open, can be required to offer proof of a minimum of one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine,” the USTA mentioned in a written assertion.
The USTA confirmed that the mandate doesn’t apply to athletes competing within the event, a few of whom have beforehand expressed reluctance to obtain the shot.
World quantity three Stefanos Tsitsipas mentioned earlier this month he would solely get the COVID-19 vaccine if it turned necessary to compete in tennis. read more
The announcement marked an abrupt change for the U.S. Open, the crown jewel of the American tennis calendar and the yr’s remaining main, which beforehand mentioned it will depend on unvaccinated followers to put on masks.
The event operated with out followers in 2020.
Reporting by Amy Tennery, Modifying by Rosalba O’Brien
Our Requirements: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
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