NRL players to use private jets and avoid hotels in bid to halt coronavirus spreading
Until a decision is made on the season’s immediate future, the NRL is ready to use private jets to transport players to games and reduce interaction with anyone who isn’t essential to the football.
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The NRL will fly teams to all games in private jets and abandon overnight stays in hotels in a bid to limit the spread of coronavirus.
This new initiative comes in the wake of fears raised by Cameron Smith that players from Melbourne were spending too much time at airports.
ARL Commission chairman Peter V’landys said these new measures would be in place for this round and would put NRL players at less risk than the rest of public society.
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“In actual fact there is more chance of them catching coronavirus without playing football than there is with them playing football,” V’landys told The Daily Telegraph.
Clubs have also implemented extreme new measures where all non-essential staff won’t be allowed to interact with players at training or at games starting from this round.
South Sydney football boss Shane Richardson has revealed that he would be included in the non-essential staff at the Rabbitohs as from this week, while chairman Nick Pappas would not travel to Brisbane for this Friday’s match against Wayne Bennett’s former club.
V’landys has received widespread support in the wake of Smith’s comments with many senior figures for showing such strong leadership and direction.
This is yet another example of him finding a solution to a problem instead of throwing up his hands and bowing to those who are not medical or biochemical experts.
Eliminating airports and hotels puts the players at a huge advantage to the rest of society.
“We are chartering the planes and we are bringing them straight back, they are not staying at the hotels,” V’landys explained.
“We are taking every precaution possible to avoid social interaction and we are going to continue to look at any measure to minimise the risk.”
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While the new tough measures will come at a cost, V’landys reiterated that it was vital to try everything possible to keep the competition alive for as long as possible.
He has said time and again players would not be put at unnecessary risk but the governing body would act on the very best and most up to date advice.
“The expense at the moment is a lot less than if we didn’t play the game,” V’landys added.
“We have to meet these expenditures because the loss of revenue is significantly more than what this is.
“They will come back straight after the game so that way there will not be hotel interaction,” V’landys said.
“The less interaction they have the less chance of them getting the virus. Hygiene is the biggest issue according to the biosecurity people.”
Originally published as NRL players to use private jets and avoid hotels in bid to halt coronavirus spreading
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