Adelaide Oval confirmed a member of the venue’s broadcast crew has tested positive to Covid-19 ahead of day four of the second Ashes Test between Australia and England.
The ground’s media centre on the fourth floor of the southern stand was deep-cleaned on Sunday after a broadcaster returned a positive Covid-19 result as part of scheduled testing. According to reports, ABC and BBC commentators have been told to stay in their hotel.
Australian players were entering the venue when News Corp broke the story.
“SA Health are aware and we have begun to trace and notify this person’s close contacts,” Adelaide Oval’s official Twitter account posted on Sunday afternoon.
“In accordance with our pre-planning we undertaking a deep clean of the relevant areas and are facilitating alternative facilities for relevant officials as required.”
Media have been required to undergo several Covid-19 tests and wear masks while covering the day-night Test match.
As reported by News Corp, the unidentified person is understood to have interviewed England batter Dawid Malan on Saturday. However, the broadcaster was wearing a mask during the interview, so there is no issue with the cricketer.
Fox Cricket presenter Kath Loughnan later reported that a second member of the Adelaide Oval broadcast staff had tested positive, and SA Health were working through close contacts.
“There’s been a scare in the media centre this morning,” Loughnan said. “So everybody is on alert, not just the players.”
Distinctly different feel in the media centre today, as you might expect from a group of people hoping Christmas isn't ruined.
On Saturday, Australian paceman Mitchell Starc revealed he was one text message away from being withdrawn from the second Test.
Test captain Pat Cummins has not featured in the pink-ball fixture after the bowler was deemed a close contact of a person who had tested positive for Covid-19.
According to reports, Cummins had a brief conversation with the person at the Little Hunter Steakhouse on Wednesday evening and even shook their hand.
Starc and Australian teammate Nathan Lyon were seated only a few metres away from the person who tested positive, but they were deemed causal contacts because they dined outdoors.
Speaking to reporters at stumps on day three, Starc confessed he and Lyon were “a bit lucky” not to be sitting inside the venue with Cummins.
“It was just fortunate we were sitting outside,” he said. “That was almost a bit of a joke because Pat didn’t reply to our message, so we thought we’d sit away from him and sit outside.
“So it was a bit lucky.”
On Thursday, Cricket Australia chief executive Nick Hockley refused to confirm whether the Adelaide Test could have gone ahead if SA Health deemed Starc and Lyon to have been close contacts as well.
The South Australian Government granted Cummins permission to return home to New South Wales on a single charter flight following his Covid-19 scare.
As reported by Loughnan, Cummins is currently not obliged to isolate in Sydney because the restaurant he attended is not listed as a “place of high concern” on the NSW government website.
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