Fans at the AFL match between Geelong and Collingwood were encouraged to wear masks... few did. Photo / Getty
Fans at the AFL match between Geelong and Collingwood were encouraged to wear masks... few did. Photo / Getty
An AFL match featuriing minimal crowd restrictions has been met with heavy criticism.
Melbourne-based clubs Geelong and Collingwood battled out at a makeshift home of Optus Stadium in Perth, after all 10 Victorian teams were forced to hit the road, amid a rise in Covid-19 cases in their state.
Lastmonth WA went into phase four of lockdown restrictions which paved the way for up to 60,000-plus AFL fans to attend games at Optus Stadium.
It was the first match with crowds in attendance at the ground since last September.
While it was far off capacity, a strong 22,077 showed up despite neither side calling Perth their usual home. It is the largest gathering in the state since the pandemic began.
But Australian Medical Association's Western Australia President Dr Andrew Miller views it as a huge risk – an opinion shared by Australian Nursing Federation Secretary Mark Olson.
"What we're betting with is the health and livelihood of the whole of Western Australia," Dr Miller told news.com.au.
In the lead-up to the match a survey was conducted among 2,000 nurses in the state, and found 94 percent opposed the amount of people the match was inviting.
Safety measures were put in place, including every second row being left empty as well as all restrooms and food and drink stalls open to reduce queues. Masks were encouraged to be worn.
PERTH, AUSTRALIA - JULY 16: The match attendance figure is displayed during the round 7 AFL match between the Geelong Cats and the Collingwood Magpies at Optus Stadium on July 16, 2020 in Perth, Austr
One fan's excitement went to another level, who invaded the pitch and removed his shirt. However, the action is seen as a breach of quarantine rules and carries a fine of up to $A50,000.
Optus Stadium is slated to host another match this weekend between state-rivals Fremantle and West Coast, as well as two further matches next weekend.
Meanwhile, New Zealand's Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters has been critical of Australian leaders for allowing the Covid-19 pandemic to "get out of control" in the country, as delays for a planned trans-Tasman bubble continue.
"I am looking at the premiers of the states in Australia, at Scott Morrison and I feel a great deal of regret that looseness allowed this thing to get out of control in my view, in Australia," Peters told Channel Nine's Today Show this morning.
"All in all it's a disaster and of course the fear will be that it creeps outside of Victoria into Queensland, South Australia and beyond."
New Zealand hasn't had a case of community transmission since April 28, with new cases coming from offshore people who are in managed isolation.
