The White House declined to address Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis' vaccine mandate exemption request for tennis player Novak Djokovic, instead passing the buck to the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention.
"I would refer you to the CDC, they are the ones who deal with that," White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Wednesday during the daily press briefing. "It's still in place, and we expect everyone to abide by our country's rule, whether as a participant or a spectator."
DeSantis has called on President Joe Biden to allow Djokovic to compete at this month's Miami Open. The world's No. 1 tennis player is not vaccinated for COVID-19 and not permitted to enter the U.S.
Djokovic, one of the most high-profile athletes unvaccinated against the virus, applied to the U.S. government last month for special permission to play at ATP Masters events Indian Wells, which begins Wednesday, and the March 19-April 2 Miami Open.
The Serbian, 35, formally withdrew from Indian Wells on Sunday. Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., said U.S. officials had denied Djokovic's request.
"This denial is unfair, unscientific, and unacceptable," DeSantis wrote Tuesday in a letter to Biden. "I urge you to reconsider. It's time to put pandemic politics aside and give the American people what they want — let him play."
DeSantis signed a law in November 2021 banning schools, businesses, and government entities from requiring vaccination against COVID-19.
The U.S. currently bars unvaccinated foreigners from entry into the country, a policy that is expected to be lifted when the government ends its COVID-19 emergency declarations May 11.
Djokovic, who missed last year's Australian Open after being deported from that country due to his vaccination status, has said he would skip Grand Slams rather than have a COVID-19 shot.
He won his record-tying 22nd Grand Slam at the Australian Open in January. He has not played at Indian Wells or the Miami Open — which together comprise the "Sunshine Double," since 2019.
Last week, Scott and fellow Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., also wrote to Biden urging him to grant the waiver request.
Indian Wells tournament director Tommy Haas, the United States Tennis Association, and the U.S. Open were among those also hoping Djokovic would be allowed to enter.
"The only thing keeping Mr. Djokovic from participating in this tournament is your administration's continued enforcement of a misguided, unscientific, and out-of-date COVID-19 vaccination requirement for foreign guests," DeSantis wrote.
Information from Reuters was used in this report.
Eric Mack ✉
Eric Mack has been a writer and editor at Newsmax since 2016. He is a 1998 Syracuse University journalism graduate and a New York Press Association award-winning writer.
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