Victorian AFL clubs have been told not to delay and to get out of the state as soon as possible with more parts of Melbourne shut down due to rising COVID-19 infection rates.
As North Melbourne, Flemington and nine public housing towers were also placed in lock down on Saturday, the AFL moved to tell clubs to bring forward their travel plansAll Victorian clubs will leave the state for Queensland and New South Wales after this week's round of matches but with the situation in Victoria worsening, the AFL was fearful of being caught out by border control and quarantine rules.
St Kilda, North Melbourne, Essendon, Western Bulldogs, Richmond and Carlton will remain in Queensland for the next block of fixtures. Hawthorn and Melbourne will be based in NSW, while Collingwood and Geelong will play one match each in Sydney before heading to Perth to play one another while in quarantine.
At least seven of the nine Victorian clubs had to move players or staff out of hotspots last Wednesday. The fear was with the number of hotspots growing some players could get stuck.The move also comes after a security contractor at Marvel Stadium tested positive to COVID-19 on Monday The game went ahead at Marvel Stadium after assurances of the cleaning of the stadium and the fact the staff member had no access to sealed, football-related areas.
Australia Latest News, Australia Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
'This isn't an inquiry, this is a cover up': Vic Opposition | Sky News AustraliaVictoria’s Opposition Leader Michael O’Brien has criticised the Andrews government for its handling of Melbourne’s hotel quarantine fiasco. \n\nAn inquiry has been launched into Melbourne’s failed hotel quarantine system after it was revealed more than 50 new cases of the coronavirus in Victoria have been linked back to breaches. \n\n“This isn’t an inquiry, this is a cover up,” Mr O’Brien said. \n\n“There is no indication this inquiry has any power to compel people to attend, compel the production of documents either.' \n\nExplosive reports emerged this week of security guards hired to enforce quarantine procedures rorting the system by sleeping with hotel occupants and charging for shifts that were never worked. \n\nVictoria Health Minister Jenny Mikakos on Friday insisted the mismanagement of the system was not the responsibility of her department. \n\nWhen pressed on the matter, Premier Daniel Andrews also skirted blaming the health department, saying “it is not a matter of necessarily one single department being responsible for this.”\n\nThe Opposition called for Ms Mikakos to be sacked over the incident. \n\n\n\n\n\n
Read more »
NSW authorities urge Vic to 'do more' to safeguard against COVID-19 | Sky News AustraliaNSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard has urged Victorian authorities to implement a screening process at train stations after a returned overseas traveller was allowed to board a Melbourne train and travel to NSW where he tested positive to COVID-19. \n\nAt least 50 staff at a Sydney Woolworths were required to enter self-isolation after an employee returned to work after leaving hotel quarantine in Melbourne where he was forced to isolate upon returning from Bangladesh.\n\nThe self-checkout staffer was cleared to travel despite testing positive to the virus on the fourth day of his quarantine period. \n\nVictorian health officials defended their decision to release the man, saying they were following national protocols.\n\n“This man met that criteria and then stayed for another two days on top of having met the release from isolation criteria… he would have been released from any hotel quarantine in the country based on that criteria,” Deputy Chief Health Officer Annaliese van Diemen said. \n\nImage: News Corp Australia
Read more »
AFL draw in disarray as COVID-19 spike hitsVictoria's COVID-19 spike will force their ten AFL teams to be relocated interstate for the next two rounds. 9News
Read more »
No hubs in SA as AFL scrambles to relocate Melbourne teamsSouth Australia has ruled itself out of the running to host an AFL hub as the league scrambles to relocate Melbourne-based clubs, with a decision expected later on Friday.
Read more »
Calls mount to sack Vic Health Minister over hotel fiasco | Sky News AustraliaThere are calls for Victoria's Health Minister Jenny Mikakos to be sacked over the hotel quarantine fiasco. \n\nNew reports emerged today suggesting hotel staff took quarantined guests out on shopping trips and even worked simultaneously as Uber drivers. \n\nReports also suggest security guards were receiving JobKeeper payments while getting cash in hand to work at the hotels. \n\nLiberal MP Tim Smith told Sky News someone needed to step up and take responsibility for the failures. \n\n“This is a scandal of monumental proportions, I mean this is a complete fiasco and not one single minister in Daniel Andrews’ government has taken responsibility,” he said. \n\n“This is quite extraordinary, it’s unacceptable and it’s a total mess.” \n\nThe Andrews government has committed $3 million towards an inquiry into the fiasco. \n\nMore than 50 cases of coronavirus have so far been linked to the hotel quarantine system in Melbourne. \n
Read more »
Vic hotel quarantine a 'scandal of monumental proportions' | Sky News AustraliaVictorian Liberal MP Tim Smith has branded Melbourne’s hotel quarantine system “a scandal of monumental proportions'. \n\nVictorian Liberals are calling for Health Minister Jenny Mikakos to be sacked over the quarantine debacle. \n\n“This is a complete fiasco and not one, single minister in Daniel Andrews’ government here in Victoria has taken responsibility,' he said. \n\nReports emerged on Friday that security guards employed to enforce quarantine measures on returned travellers were accepting cash in hand while also receiving JobKeeper payments.\n\nSome guards also reportedly took guests isolated in hotels out to local shops. \n\n“We need a minister to take responsibility for this debacle, for the government to accept they got it completely wrong and explain to the people of Victoria and indeed the entire country why they didn’t call in the ADF to manage hotel quarantine like NSW did months ago,” Mr Smith said. \n\n“Victorians have endangered the entire country and Victorians are now the pariahs of the entire country. \n\n“At least the Police Minister, the Health Minister or the Jobs Minister must lose their job over this catastrophe and if they don’t it shows you that this Labor government here in Victoria is a total farce.” \n\nImage: News Corp Australia \n\n\n\n
Read more »