How the NRL will deal with the coronavirus if outbreaks spread further

The NRL is already making plans for how the game will adapt if the coronavirus continues to spread further - but the possibility of locking fans out of games is out of their hands.

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - JUNE 16: The crowd watch on during the round 15 NRL match between the South Sydney Rabbitohs and the Gold Coast Titans at ANZ Stadium on June 16, 2017 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Mark Kolbe/Getty Images)

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The NRL will enact any directive from the Federal Government — which includes locking out fans or segregating them for matches — if the coronavirus outbreak spreads further.

The NRL has established a working group who are exploring any potential impact the virus will have on playing and watching the game.

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Could fans be locked out of games? Photo by Mark Kolbe/Getty Images.

However, any decision to lock fans out altogether or segregating them will be made by the Federal Government, not the NRL.

There are no immediate fans to keep fans away ahead of the start of the season this Thursday night when Canterbury play Parramatta at Bankwest Stadium.

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“We have created a working group at the NRL led primarily by our chief medical officer, who is in contact with the Federal Government and the Australian Institute of Sport,” said NRL boss Todd Greenberg. “We are watching all those trends and how we will deal with them.”

Originally published as How the NRL will deal with the coronavirus if outbreaks spread further