Canberra Region Rugby League has stated its intent to continue the 2021 Canberra Raiders Cup season, after general manager Mark Vergano said that the current COVID-19 outbreak in NSW has "no impact on the NSW regional areas and the ACT that the CRRL administers in relation to rugby league".
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The statement by Vergano was released on Monday, June 28, in response to the spate of sporting cancellations across Greater Sydney due to the current surge in coronavirus cases.
At the time of writing, Canberra has no active cases. However, the ACT government has already put a preemptive mask mandate in place and Vergano acknowledged that the "situation is very fluid and there are likely to be changes in the medical advice or staging requirements."
Similarly, there are no active COVID-19 cases in Goulburn, Queanbeyan, Yass, or any of the smaller regional NSW towns which have teams in CRRL competitions.
The organisation, Vergano said, will work with the ACT Chief Health Officer, ACT Sport and Recreation, NSW Health, and NSW Rugby League to stay up-to-date on potential cases and responses.
"As the CRRL, in all its competitions, operates across borders this does add a layer of complexity when providing advice or managing the competitions," he said.
"We ask all our supporters for patience when there are new requirements or advice as the CRRL staff has to assess all the implications and often across multiple jurisdictions.
"I also note that due to the fluid situation with outbreaks there may be little notice of a change of circumstance and again we ask for your understanding if this is the situation."
In all circumstances, Vergano emphasised that the safety of players, administrators, and the public is the CRRL's top priority.
"Ideally, we would like to stage all matches next weekend (weather permitting) but we will not compromise anyone's safety and comply with all health advice," he said.
Goulburn has not had an active COVID case since last year. Since then, the only scare occurred when a Melbourne resident tested positive after visiting Goulburn and the South Coast late last month.
Further information on the coronavirus as it pertains to rugby league in NSW can be found here.
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