Australian authorities said mandatory hotel quarantine for people arriving for the Australian Open tennis tournament was essential to stop Covid-19, as the country recorded another day with no new locally acquired cases.

Some of the world’s top tennis players including world No 1 Novak Djokovic have questioned the country’s enforced 14-day hotel quarantine, suggesting they should be allowed to complete the process in accommodation with tennis courts before the tournament which starts in Victoria state on Feb 8, according to Reuters.

But Victorian premier Daniel Andrews said he would not make changes.

“People are free to ask for things, but the answer is no,” Andrews told reporters in a televised news conference. “They knew what they were travelling into and we are not cutting corners or making special arrangements.”