With SA’s first international cricketing experience in the Covid-19 era just more than a week away when they play against England, rugby’s recent positive tests have cut a long and unnecessary shadow.
Not that cricket has been squeaky clean. In the first round of the Four-Day Franchise Series, the Warriors had six players out because of positive Covid-19 tests and close contacts.
Cricket escaped in the second round, but rugby hasn’t been so lucky. Three Super Rugby Unlocked matches had to be called off because of cluster Covid-19 infections. The latest of these games was the highly-anticipated Sharks/Stormers game at Kings Park.
The irony of that particular cancellation was that it was the Sharks and Stormers who played the last game of Super Rugby proper in SA, with crowds, before Covid-19 drew the curtain on that tournament.
Cricket SA chief medical officer Dr Shuaib Manjra was insistent that the bio-bubble England and SA are going to play and live in for the three T20, three ODI engagements was safe, but what has transpired with rugby was a cause for concern.
“We noted that some of the games had to be called off and the rugby matter concerns us. It’s one of the reasons we have been incredibly strict with regards to nobody leaving this environment. We have behaviour standards inside, alongside regulations on what people can and can’t do. We’ve created a closed environment, but these things happen and we have to deal with them as they come,” Manjra said.
“We haven’t defined the punitive levels yet, but it will fall under team discipline, like any other offence. The disciplinary committee will sit down and see what to do.”
It’s going to be an entirely strict bio-bubble that no one from the outside will be allowed to enter, except for exceptional conditions.
— Cricket SA’s chief medical officer Dr Shuaib Manjra
While it has to be mentioned that Super Rugby Unlocked isn’t played in a bio-bubble, the SA/England series will be played in a military grade installation, for a lack of a better explanation.
Access will be limited and controlled and the Vineyard Hotel, where the teams have already assembled, has been closed to outside guests.
Manjra said these stringent requirements are necessary to ensure the health and safety of all of the individuals who will be taking part in the series. Manjra said there were a couple of positive tests, but left those to be fully explained by his employers.
“It’s going to be an entirely strict bio-bubble that no one from the outside will be allowed to enter, except for exceptional conditions. We also have sanitised islands at the stadiums, hotel and bridge, which are the coaches and transport that we use. The entire Vineyard Hotel has been shut to outside guests. It’s only open and accessible to people involved in the tour and the front-line staff that come into contact with the players in the hotel,” Manjra said.
“Before entry into the bio-bubble, everybody was Covid-19 tested and those with negative tests were allowed to enter. We’ve done about 150 to 200 tests so far. Management got in on Monday and the players came in on Wednesday and all the players were tested. The vast majority of people here, about 99%, were negative and there were a couple of positive tests.”
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