Following the week-long lockdown that was announced by the ACT government on Thursday, Canberra Region Rugby League announced the cancellation of all fixtures over the weekend.
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There are currently nine positive COVID-19 cases in the ACT, while there were also positive wastewater detections found last week.
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The beginning of the ACT's snap lockdown was followed by a statewide lockdown in NSW, which was announced on Saturday.
"As noted by the Chief Minister this is by far the most serious public health risk the ACT has faced in the past 12 months, and that's why a strict lockdown has been introduced in response to this positive case," a statement released by the CRRL said.
The lockdown forced the cessation of all sporting fixtures in Canberra, which also impacted towns based just outside the border such as Yass and Queanbeyan.
"For what has been more than 12 months our sporting community has come together to help keep Canberra safe - we have conformed with evolving health directions, actively supported the Check-In CBR App and as required, modified our activities to help our community keep active and keep safe," the CRRL said.
"We are now being asked to pause for this immediate seven day period, working within our families, clubs and communities to try and address this most current public health risk."
As the NSW lockdowns began on Saturday, it is as yet unclear what impact they will have on CRRL teams based outside Canberra.
With the ACT lockdowns scheduled to end by Thursday, the CRRL could technically resume competition after that point. However, the NSW lockdowns are set to end at 12.01am on Sunday, August 21.
Therefore, any CRRL matches to be hosted by a NSW team on Saturday would be unable to go ahead. Similarly, the Goulburn Bulldogs are scheduled to have a round of home games next Sunday, but it is unclear if they will proceed due to a lack of training or insufficient preparation time.
With many questions remaining around the fate of local competitions, the CRRL has urged its members to focus on staying safe and healthy, and encouraged anybody with concerns about COVID-19 to visit www.covid19.act.gov.au.
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