Australia and England cricketers will be allowed to enjoy Christmas with their families despite biosecurity concerns over the Ashes series amid a national surge of COVID-19 cases.
Cricket Australia chief executive Nick Hockley confirmed he would stick to his pre-series promise of balancing safety with player welfare as several Australian players returned home to families.
They will regroup in Melbourne on Thursday to ramp up preparations for Sunday's Boxing Day Test, where Australia can wrap up the Ashes.
Players from both sides will be placed under stricter conditions in Melbourne and Sydney.
They can only have meals at a venue's outdoor setting and they have been told to avoid indoor crowds.
A Christmas Day tradition in Melbourne when Australian players and staff share lunch with their families will continue.
"Everyone will be looking forward to coming together with families on Christmas Day in Melbourne," Hockley told SEN on Tuesday.
"The players, family members, staff and match officials are all part of the overall cohort.
"They are all part of level-four restrictions. There has just been a latest group of England families arrive in Melbourne."
Pat Cummins's absence from the second Test after becoming a close contact prompted questions about further restrictions.
Hockley has stressed the need to be vigilant, with two tours called off globally in recent months as a result of COVID-19 cases within playing groups.
But Hockley has told players to exercise common sense for the Melbourne and Sydney Tests.
"We'll be going up from our protocol level three to level four," Hockley said.
"Really, the main difference is that we ask players to avoid big crowded indoor public settings.
"They can still go out, still go to the beach, still go to the park.
"They can still go out for dinner, but we ask them to dine outside and in small groups so if there is another hotspot, the whole group is not caught up.
"We're trying to strike that balance between making sure everyone has a great quality of life but also we're able to keep the series going."
Cricket was not the only sport facing the challenges of COVID-19 on Tuesday.
Canberra are believed have also learned of further cases within their NRL group, after two staff members tested positive last week and the entire squad forced to isolate.
The Raiders will not comment on the current number of cases, but will monitor and assess their situation before they return to training on January 5.
Fellow NRL clubs Newcastle, Wests Tigers and South Sydney have also had pre-season training disrupted in recent weeks because of COVID-19 cases.
