ニューヨーク・タイムズさんのインスタグラム写真 - (ニューヨーク・タイムズInstagram)「The Australian Open continued without spectators on Saturday, after more than six million people in Victoria, Australia, entered into a snap lockdown for five days in response to a coronavirus outbreak at a quarantine hotel.⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ The best-laid plans to host a safe tennis tournament were redirected midstream by a more contagious variant of the coronavirus that was first found in Britain. By Friday, it had infected 13 people linked to a quarantine hotel near the Melbourne airport that was being used to sequester returning travelers.⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ It was bittersweet news for the players, who for the first time since the Australian Open last year were contesting a Grand Slam in front of crowds, with the number of fans allowed on the Melbourne Park grounds each day capped at 30,000.⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ Victorians are allowed to leave home only for essential shopping, work, exercise and caregiving, and must wear masks whenever they leave home. But while sports and entertainment venues will be shut down, professional athletes like tennis players are classified as “essential workers” and are allowed to continue their matches, albeit behind closed doors.⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ Describing the lockdown as a “circuit breaker,” the authorities said it was critical to stopping the spread of the variant, which is highly infectious and has outwitted contact tracers before they can contain outbreaks. Similar snap lockdowns in Perth and Brisbane in recent months were successful in quashing infections.⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ Tap the link in our bio for more from the Australian Open. Photo by @alanaholmberg⁣⁣ ⁣⁣」2月14日 1時34分