AFL chief medical officer Peter Harcourt cancels overseas trip as league deals with coronavirus threat
The AFL’s chief medical officer has cancelled a planned trip to Europe, which would have seen him miss the opening round of the season, as the game grapples with the COVID-19 crisis.
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The AFL’s chief medical officer has cancelled a planned trip to Europe, which would have seen him miss the opening round of the season, as the game grapples with the COVID-19 crisis.
Dr Peter Harcourt, a key member of the league’s coronavirus working group, had planned to spend 10 days abroad.
The trip had been backed by the league, with an AFL spokesman saying on Wednesday night, “There are two doctors as part of the working group, so a doctor is always available to provide relevant medical advice”.
Hawthorn medico Mike Makdissi was selected to stand in for Harcourt.
However, Harcourt has now cancelled his trip and will continue to be available for the industry.
Asked about his trip on Wednesday night, Harcourt told the Herald Sun: “You shouldn’t ask questions like that. I can’t get over being asked”.
It comes as a senior AFL match-day official was forced into quarantine after returning to Melbourne from a wedding in Bali.
Scott Taylor, the league’s venues and integrity administration manager, has been told to stay away from AFL headquarters for 14 days.
The league said he had shown no symptoms but was being isolated for precautionary reasons.
The AFL has begun planning for the almost certain staging of ghost matches played without supporters.
Access to stadiums would be limited to players, umpires, coaching staff, essential club support staff, medical officials, broadcasters, TV and radio production staff, league officials and stadium and ground staff.
Fan lockouts are likely to be enforced from Round 5 in mid to late April when statewide bans on mass public gatherings are expected to be imposed.
Matches likely to be affected include the Round 6 Collingwood-Essendon Anzac Day blockbuster at the MCG.
A worse case scenario in the event of players and club officials becoming infected would see games postponed or cancelled, but the league is yet to resolve what would happen if the fixture is compromised.
The AFL has been caught out by the seriousness of the global crisis.
In an interview on February 28, league chief executive Gillon McLachlan said that the AFL had only “limited exposure” to the coronavirus.
“Exposure for us is limited. Things may change. Because we’re a domestic game and, at the moment, the coronavirus has implications for those with supply chain or international links and that’s not where we’re at,” McLachlan said.
“So as we sit here today, without looking too far into the future, our economic exposure is limited. We look to the federal government and the relevant interested bodies for advice and, you know, until that changes, that’s where we’re at.”
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Originally published as AFL chief medical officer Peter Harcourt cancels overseas trip as league deals with coronavirus threat
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