Cricket Victoria updates stakeholders on vaccine requirements for community sport resumption

With the cricket season approaching, Cricket Victoria has provided an update on vaccine requirements for players, coaches and umpires.

The advice indicates that players, coaches and umpires won’t be excluded from on-field duties based on vaccination status, as detailed in a return-to-play update released by the Victorian Government on 22nd October.

While Cricket Victoria is still encouraging community cricketers to be vaccinated, the state governing body issued the update on Friday in response to a Victorian Government update.

The update advises “whilst full (double-dose) vaccination status is strongly recommended by Cricket Victoria for all people eligible to be vaccinated, you do not need to be vaccinated to play, coach, umpire or volunteer at an outdoor community cricket club this summer

“External groups who use cricket club facilities (e.g. personal trainers) will need to comply with mandatory vaccine requirements.

“However, outdoor community sports clubs are exempt from this requirement.”

While outdoor activities won’t be closed off to unvaccinated participants, a grey area remains surrounding indoor implications, such as change rooms and clubrooms.

Here, Cricket Victoria advised “the state government is looking into whether unvaccinated people can enter indoor areas such as social rooms or change rooms at cricket clubs.”

Rules will differ for indoor cricket and training, with Cricket Victoria confirming participants will need to be vaccinated.

Several COVIDSafe measures implemented last season will also remain this season, including participant check-ins.

Competitions were given approval to start following Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews’ press conference on Sunday, announcing restrictions would be lifting from 6pm this Friday (29th October) with the expectation that the state’s planned 80% “double-dose” milestone will be met earlier than expected.

However, with staff in community sport, as well as those in aquatic facilities and fitness clubs, not being on the Victorian Government’s list of ‘essential workers’ mandated as having to be vaccinated to continue going to work, confusion exists as to how staff can interact with the community and vaccinated colleagues.

In related news, a communication from the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) to players has revealed unvaccinated tennis players will be allowed to compete at the 2022 Australian Open.

Part of the communication, which was revealed by The New York Times, stated that all unvaccinated players will need to complete two weeks of hotel quarantine on arrival in Australia, similar to the process for the 2021 Australian Open.

Sunday also saw Premier Andrews advise that he wants 80,000 or more people at the MCG for the Boxing Day Test - although he noted that a full house at the venue would be unlikely.

Competitions were given approval to start following Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews’ press conference on Sunday, announcing restrictions would be lifting from 6pm this Friday (29th October) with the expectation that the state’s planned 80% “double-dose” milestone will be met earlier than expected.

Image courtesy of Cricket Victoria.