All supporters who attended Tuesday night's rugby union match between Australia and France have been put on notice after a fan who watched the game at AAMI Park tested positive to COVID-19.
After the Melbourne stadium was listed as a COVID-19 exposure site on Thursday night, Melbourne and Olympic Parks, the venue's management, confirmed a crowd member at the match had returned a positive coronavirus test.
The supporter entered AAMI Park through Gate 7 at 8.08pm and was seated on Level 1, Aisle 21 in Zone 2 on the western side of the stadium.
According to advice from the Victorian Department of Health, all fans who were sitting in aisles 20, 21, 22 and 23 must get tested urgently and isolate until they have a negative result.
All other patrons and staff who were in Zone 2 at AAMI Park must monitor for COVID symptoms, and get tested and isolate immediately if any appear.
The COVID situation at the Wallabies match is the second of its type to happen at a Melbourne sporting event in recent days, with three coronavirus cases linked to the Carlton v Geelong match at the MCG last Sunday.
After it emerged that a COVID-positive fan attended the match in the MCC area of the stadium, two other supporters have tested positive, with both having no relationship with the original positive test.
As a result, it has been advised that all fans who attended the Percy Beames Bar in the MCC, between 4pm and 4.30pm and 5.20pm and 5.50pm, must get tested for COVID immediately and isolate for 14 days as part of a Tier 1 exposure site.
The rest of the MCC is a Tier 2 exposure site which requires all supporters in that section to get tested and isolate until they get their results, while the every fan who attended the match has been asked to monitor for symptoms and get tested if necessary.
After the spread of the Delta variant between patrons at the MCG, Fox Footy is reporting that the venue's position as host of the AFL Grand Final in late September is in doubt.
Since Victoria's fourth lockdown in early June, full capacity crowds still hadn't returned for AFL crowds in Melbourne, with the sport's governing body easing back toward full numbers.
Depending on when Victoria can overcome this current lockdown, the situation potentially puts at risk the ability for Australia's premier sporting venue to host the AFL's biggest match with a full crowd.
