Big Bash League players have been told they won’t be able to visit family homes in Queensland for Christmas after Cricket Australia tightened its biosecurity guidelines.
The Twenty20 competition was on the move on Monday with six squads on chartered flights from Hobart to Brisbane as planned for the next round of games.
But the conditions around Christmas week have changed due to the COVID-19 cluster in Sydney and fears of cases seeding in other states.
Under original BBL plans, players and staff with families in Brisbane were set to be able to spend time there this week, as long as those around them isolated for three days prior.
However, that plan was changed over the weekend with CA desperate to ensure players do not get classified as close contacts.
While there is no major risk in Brisbane, officials are concerned if family members had visited venues that later became case locations players could become close contacts.
It remains to be seen if visitors will be allowed in to the bubble for Christmas, with players still granted other freedoms around the hub.
The decision is believed to impact about 30 players and staff across the league, with the likes of the Adelaide Strikers’ Matt Renshaw among those impacted outside of the Brisbane Heat squad.
Organisers remain eager to show state governments that they are keeping their players clear of the virus to ensure border crossings.
A woman from Sydney’s northern beaches tested positive to the virus in Queensland on Friday, prompting a public health alert.
CA still faces a decision on what to do with the Sydney Test and the eight BBL games in the city in January, which now look increasingly under threat with current border restrictions.
Both the Perth Scorchers and the Hobart Hurricanes are scheduled to cross the closed border into Victoria as part of those games.
The five-match finals series also follows directly after that, meaning if either Sydney team qualifies they would need an exemption to play in other cities after being in Sydney.
CA’s decision to play the tournament in hubs has so far paid off, given Sunday night’s match between the Sydney Sixers and Adelaide would likely not have gone ahead had the hosts been in Sydney.