by Michaela Meade
All Gisborne and District Cricket Association (GDCA) matches scheduled for this weekend have been cancelled in response to a COVID-19 outbreak in Sunbury.
The association has made the call to “abandon” all games for the weekend of Friday, February 12 to Sunday, February 14.
The decision was made in consultation with both the Department of Health and Human Services and Cricket Victoria.
An association spokesman said cancelling one round of cricket was better than cancelling a whole season.
“It is preferable to cancel one round of senior and junior cricket matches than to have to cancel the rest of the season if there was to be further infection transmitted by someone in our community who visited the exposure sites and has not been tested and self-isolated,” the GDCA said on its Facebook page.
The association said the health and safety of the cricket community was most important, and this course of action is the “most appropriate”.
“We are hopeful that there will be no further interruptions.”
Sunbury Shopping Centre is classified as a tier 1 contact site, following an outbreak of COVID-19 at The Holiday Inn quarantine hotel. The outbreak has now spread to 11 people.
Coronavirus testing commander Jeroen Weimar said the remainder of the shopping centre has now been deemed to be a tier two exposure site following a meeting with 300 Sunbury community members last night.
Anyone who visited the centre between 3.30-4.30pm on February 5 is urged to get tested and isolate until they receive a negative result.
