AFL restart in doubt as South Australia refuses to relax quarantine rules

In a letter to AFL CEO Gil McLachlan, SA Chief Medical Officer Dr Nicola Spurrier and Police Commissioner Grant Stevens describe the 2020 season plans as “an unnecessary public health risk”.

AFL CEO Gil McLachlan. Picture: Getty Images

The future of the AFL’s planned restart of the 2020 season has been officially thrown into doubt with South Australia advising the AFL that it will not relax its strict 14-day quarantine rules for players who have left the state to compete in matches.

In a letter to AFL CEO Gil McLachlan, SA Chief Medical Officer Dr Nicola Spurrier and Police Commissioner Grant Stevens said SA did not believe the AFL should be allowed to operate by different standards to the rest of the state, describing the AFL’s plans as “an unnecessary public health risk”.

Dr Spurrier and the commissioner also said SA did not want to compromise its strong performance in suppressing the coronavirus, with the state having recorded almost three weeks with just one new infection.

The letter, sent on Wednesday night and obtained by The Australian, says the SA government’s COVID-19 Transition Committee had considered but decided to reject

the AFL’s revised Return to Play Protocol.

“As you may be aware, SA imposes strict quarantine requirements on interstate arrivals,” the letter states.

“The protocol was considered against these strict quarantine arrangements, and whether any modification or exemption to these quarantine arrangements could adequately manage the public health risk.

“On public health advice, the committee has resolved that any economic and social benefits to be gained by allowing modification or exemptions to SA quarantine requirements for AFL payers were not outweighed by the public health risk.”

This means that any AFL players who arrive in SA or return to SA from interstate would have to abide by a strict 14-day quarantine, without leaving the property where they are being isolated, making it impossible for the players to compete in a week-by-week round of football.

The letter also says it will not support AFL players training in groups larger than 10 prior to June 8, in line with the same rules that apply for the rest of the community under the government’s roadmap out of lockdown.

“In addition to a modification or exemption being considered an unnecessary public health risk in SA, the Committee noted that as a highly visible part of society it is also important that the AFL model the behaviours expected from the public in general. The risk complacency within the wider community rises if it is that these measures have diminished in importance,” the letter states.

The letter says the only circumstances where players could compete according to the AFL’s preferred timeframe was under the hub model, meaning that the state’s two AFL clubs, Port Adelaide and Adelaide, would have to relocate to Victoria for the entire season because they would be placed into 14-day quarantine if they returned to SA.

However, The Australian understands that neither Port Adelaide nor the Adelaide Crows are likely to support that option on the basis of player unease about spending an entire, if truncated, season interstate.