Positive COVID-19 case confirmed in crowd at A-League game in Newcastle
Spectators at Sunday's A-League match in Newcastle are being asked to monitor for symptoms after a man in his 20s with a confirmed case of COVID-19 attended the fixture.
Hunter New England Health has confirmed the man is a close contact of a teenager with COVID-19 who is part of the Newcastle Jets' youth academy, and has urged all those who watched the Jets' A-League team beat Western United 1-0 at McDonald Jones Stadium on Sunday to be alert for symptoms and self-isolate immediately, and get tested if they develop symptoms.
Newcastle's Maki Petratos and Western United's Valentino Yuel contest the ball in Sunday's clash at McDonald Jones Stadium.Credit:Getty Images
It is believed to be the first positive COVID-19 case at a professional sporting fixture in Australia since the T20 Women's World Cup final at the MCG on March 8.
A crowd of 2570 attended the match, which the Jets won courtesy of a 29th-minute strike from Roy O'Donovan.
The Jets and Football Federation Australia have been contacted for comment.
A spokesperson for the Jets said only the lower bowl of seating at McDonald Jones Stadium was open to the public on Sunday and that seating in bays was capped at 25 per cent to allow for social distancing.
One other A-League fixture - Wellington Phoenix and Brisbane Roar's 1-1 draw on Wednesday night - has been held at the venue since but it was played with no crowd.
It is the third positive COVID-19 case that has been linked to the Newcastle Jets since the pandemic began.
A senior A-League player, who was not identified, contracted the coronavirus in late March, before the competition was forced into a four-month shutdown.
And late on Wednesday night, the club confirmed the academy player had also tested positive and that all his close contacts - including teammates and coaches - were self-isolating for 14 days.
The academy player was part of an under-15s team that played against the Stanmore Hawks at Arlington Oval in Dulwich Hill on Saturday. Players from the Stanmore Hawks are also self-isolating.
The teenager's school, St Pius X High School in Adamstown, has been closed for the week.
Neither the crowd member nor the teenager's case is believed to pose any risk to Newcastle's senior A-League team, who are seventh on the ladder and are due to meet the Phoenix in their final match of the regular season next Thursday.
All remaining A-League matches, including the finals series, are currently slated to be held in NSW, although competition sources indicate there are contingency plans being explored if the state's COVID-19 situation escalates.