For the past 15 years, veterinarian Andrew Marchevsky has rounded up his friends at the start of January and headed to the Sydney Test.

“It’s a great way to start the year and it’s a good excuse to get together with mates,” he said.

But this year, the SCG member will be watching the match from home.

“I was going three weeks ago, but not now,” he said.

“We’ve had these outbreaks of COVID — we’re at the start of them. I don’t know how big they’re going to get … I’m worried it’s going to be a superspreader event.”

Andrew Marchevsky will be watching the SCG Test from home for the first time in 15 years.(ABC News: Jerry Rickard)

The New South Wales Government has resisted calls to ban crowds at the third Test against India amid the latest COVID outbreak, instead capping numbers at 10,000 per day and enforcing mandatory masks for spectators at all times except when eating or drinking.

Several Sydney suburbs have also been banned from attending the match. Police will be checking identification at the event and issuing $1,000 fines for any patrons from the banned areas.

There are 196 active COVID-19 cases in NSW. No new locally-acquired cases were reported in the state on Thursday.

SCG chief executive Kerrie Mather told 7.30 it was important to find safe ways to continue to hold events during virus outbreaks.

Caucasian woman with short blonde hair and glasses wearing a floral dress sitting on a seat within an empty sports stadium.
SCG chief executive Kerrie Mather says the venue should continue to hold events in a COVID-safe way.(ABC News: Jerry Rickard)

“The Sydney cricket Test is actually the most popular and largest sporting event in Sydney,” she said.

“People want to come and we want to have them here, but we want to do so in a COVID-safe way.”

Keeping the ‘normality’

Sydney cricket fan Liam O’Loughlin was undeterred and planned to attend the match with a group of friends on Sunday.

“I haven’t been too worried about it,” he said.

Young man in a grey shirt looking at the camera.
Liam O’Loughlin says safety protocols have given him confidence to attend the SCG Test with his friends.(ABC News: Simon Beardsell)

“As long as you’re safe, you’re doing your social distancing, you’re wearing a mask and that sort of thing, I’m not too concerned — especially at a ticketed and controlled outdoor event with lots of social distancing.

The decision to mandate masks at the stadium was triggered when the MCG was listed as a potential COVID-19 acquisition site after a man attended day two of the Boxing Day Test and later tested positive to coronavirus.

On Thursday, the NSW Government announced masks must be worn at all large sporting events.

Asked whether the MCG incident had heightened concerns for the Sydney event, Ms Mather said such risks were now part of daily life.

“We’re going to be living with this [virus] for some time and I think it’s important that, as far as possible, all the things that we enjoy and combine people as a community are still able to actually continue in a COVID-safe way,” she said.

The SCG will restrict movement between stands and put on extra staff to monitor social distancing during the event, which could run until January 11.

Finding a balance

NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard said the State Government was aiming to strike the right balance.

“To simply put off the Test, or to can the Test in NSW, it wouldn’t be productive,” Mr Hazzard told media on Wednesday.

But some health experts are concerned.

University of NSW epidemiologist Raina Macintyre has described the event as an “unnecessary risk”, while Australian Medical Association president Omar Khorshid said the safest option would be to hold the match without crowds.

For Andrew Marchevsky, he is content to cheer on the Aussies from the couch.

“There’ll be more cricket,” he said. “It’ll be here next year and the year after.”



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