A second fan who attended an AFL game over the weekend has returned a positive Covid-19 test as Victorian clubs were ordered into lockdown in an attempt by the league to ensure the season was not derailed by the latest outbreak in Melbourne.
The lockdown was implemented as three clubs with interstate games this weekend made plans to leave the city earlier than scheduled in case any further restrictions were imposed in response to the developing situation.
The AFL on Wednesday evening confirmed one of the 15 positive cases in the Melbourne cluster had attended Marvel Stadium for Sunday’s match between Essendon and North Melbourne.
It was previously revealed a person who attended the Collingwood and Port Adelaide game at the MCG had also subsequently tested positive.
All fans seated in close proximity to the positive cases have been asked to immediately get tested and isolate until they receive a negative test. People in other parts of the stadiums have been asked to monitor for symptoms.
The AFL said it anticipated such a situation arising and had, along with the MCG and Marvel Stadium, prepared for it with multiple simulations, with contact information linked to ticketing data and QR codes.
Both stadiums will undergo extensive cleaning “out of an abundance of caution”, the AFL said.
Meanwhile, Essendon, Hawthorn and Carlton were preparing to leave Melbourne early for matches this weekend and plan to return to Victoria following their respective round 11 games. The nine Melbourne-based clubs, as well as Geelong, will face new restrictions for at least the next seven days with players and staffers recommended to only leave for playing, training and essentials.
“The AFL has advised the club of some supplementary protocols; they’re a bit similar to last year,” the Carlton football boss, Brad Lloyd, said. “Those protocols have been prepared for a little while and they’ve now been activated. We’ve been told we’ll come back Sunday but we haven’t been given any further detail on the weeks ahead.”
After six new cases were reported on Wednesday, bringing the Whittlesea cluster to 15, Victoria’s acting premier, James Merlino, said he could not rule out the possibility of further social restrictions for the general public. The next 24 hours will fully inform any decision, but as of Wednesday morning, all AFL games taking place in Melbourne this week were still scheduled to go ahead at 85% capacity stadiums.
Depending on case numbers, that could change before the opening match of the round on Friday – a top-of-the-table clash between Melbourne and the Western Bulldogs at Marvel Stadium.
“The AFL is going ahead with crowds, subject to changes and masks,” Merlino said on Wednesday. “But there has been great engagement between the league, stadiums and public health team. This is subject to how we go over the next 24 hours. We have got a critical period in front of us, but right now, [there will be] games with crowds subject to restrictions.”
The three teams planning hasty departures hope to avoid getting trapped in Melbourne should the situation worsen. Essendon was due to travel to Perth on Wednesday morning, Carlton will head to Sydney on Wednesday afternoon and Hawthorn aims to travel to Darwin on Thursday. All staff of the travelling clubs will be tested and minimise their movements until they leave.
Super Netball club Melbourne Vixens will also leave the state earlier than planned due to the outbreak, bringing forward their departure to Queensland from Friday to Wednesday. The Collingwood Magpies, who are slated to play in Sydney on Sunday, are yet to change their travel plans and will still fly to NSW on Saturday.
The NRL is at this point unaffected, with Melbourne Storm currently in camp on the Sunshine Coast, where they will extend their stay beyond Thursday’s game against the Broncos in Brisbane. But the league is keeping a watching brief on the situation in Melbourne, with this year’s State of Origin opener scheduled to take place at the MCG in under two weeks.
CEO Andrew Abdo said the league had contingency plans in place should the MCG be ruled out of hosting the match on 9 June, with Canberra, Perth and Adelaide shaping up as alternative venue options.
The Melbourne Rebels Super Rugby team is hoping the New Zealand travel bubble will be reinstated before Saturday, when they plan to travel to Queensland to face the Highlanders.
Western Bulldogs players who were tested for coronavirus after a staff member reported being at the Highgate shopping centre during an exposure period have returned negative results, while Port Adelaide players who were at the MCG on Sunday were undergoing testing on Wednesday.
Ticketing for the next two rounds of games has already been paused by the AFL.
With Australian Associated Press
