A record-breaking crowd for a women’s sporting event in Australia of 86,174 descended upon the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground on Sunday to watch the T20 Women’s World Cup final that witnessed the Australian team crush India to secure its 5th title.
Now, the Victorian health authorities have revealed that the latest patient to test positive was also in attendance at the game.
Highlights:
- Coronavirus confirmed case was in attendance at T20 Women's World Cup Final on March 8
- Doctors say there is no need to panic unless you were in "close proximity" to the infected person
- 86,174 people attended the final match at the Melbourne cricket ground
The infected person was in the Melbourne Cricket Club members area on Level 2 of the stadium between 5:15 and 11:30 pm.
Melbourne-based paediatrician Dr Raj Khillan said other than people who were in close personal contact with the patient, which means they had a face to face exposure or were in the same room for two hours –there is no need to panic.
“There is no need to panic, but there is definitely a need to be careful," he told SBS Punjabi.
“This doesn’t mean that every one of those 80,000 spectators needs to get screened. The only people who need screening are those people who were sitting in close proximity of the infected person i.e. within 2 to 4metre radius of the infected person,” said Dr Khillan.
He added that coronavirus spreads when the droplets of bodily fluids such as saliva or mucus from an infected person are dispersed in the air or on surfaces.
“Usually droplets are dispersed when a person sneezes or coughs. These then can travel to other people or can infect those who pick them up by touching infected surfaces and then their face,” added Dr Khillan.
In a statement issued earlier today, the MCC claimed that it is working closely with the government and the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) and the advice is to “operate business as usual.”
People line up outside the Royal Melbourne Hospital for coronavirus testing. Source: AAP
“The MCC is committed to maintaining a safe and healthy environment for those visiting the MCG and as a precautionary measure has undertaken intensive cleaning of the affected section,” read the statement.
It further added that the DHHS has recommended that those who were seated in N42 at Sunday’s event should go about their normal routine, “with an increased focus on hygiene measures.
Five other cases have also been confirmed in Victoria, bringing the state total to 27.
The state’s Chief Health Officer, Professor Brett Sutton said the latest confirmed cases include men between 30 and 70 years of age.
Five had recently returned from overseas travel while the sixth infected person was in close contact with a confirmed case.
Besides MCG, here are the other public exposure sites for the current confirmed cases.
Dr Khillan said that anyone who is experiencing symptoms of coronavirus must get in touch with the GPs or visit screening clinics set up by the government at the earliest.
“If you begin to feel unwell and develop a fever, cough or shortness of breath, or you believe you have returned from international travel or believe have come into close contact with a confirmed case, you should seek immediate medical attention.”
He cautioned that though the coronavirus infection spreads rapidly, the mortality rate is between 2-3 per cent.
“Coronavirus has low fatality rates and people who have low immunity or disease resistance or have underlying health conditions like asthma or other respiratory illnesses or are above 70 years of age are more vulnerable than any normal adult or child,” said Dr Khillan.
The Victorian Department of Health and Human Services has a hotline for public information on COVID-19 which is 1800 675 398 and further information is also available at
Click on the player above to listen to full audio in Punjabi.
