Precautions in place

Meagan McGregor
[email protected]

WITH Victoria declaring a state of emergency in an attempt to contain the number of COVID-19 cases, major events including sporting fixtures, both local and national, have been postponed or cancelled.
With more events set to learn their fate later in the week, most representatives are warning that the situation is changing daily and at this time, a fluid response is required.
Swan Hill College advised parents on Monday that today’s athletics carnival has been postponed with no alternative date set at this stage.
Swan Hill and District Cricket Association president Greg Cruickshank said advice from Cricket Victoria meant they would cancel their two-day grand final clash between St Mary’s Tyntynder and RSL scheduled for this weekend.
A decision will be made this week on whether a premiership title is awarded and what criteria that might take.
The presentation evening scheduled for tonight at the Swan Hill Club has also been cancelled. 
Senior tennis at Swan Hill Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club is scheduled to proceed with finals kicking off this Saturday, but players and spectators are advised to stay abreast of updated information as the week progresses.
Little Athletics cancelled last Friday’s events and are likely to continue to cancel into the near future along with junior gymnastics, karate and AFL Central Murray umpire training.
The Tyntynder night series of football and netball set to commence this weekend has also been cancelled.
 Scheduled to run over three weekends from March 20–April 3, all sessions have been called off and will not be rescheduled at this stage.
Central Murray football development manager David Alderuccio issued a statement on Monday to advise the Next Generation Academy Challenge that was due to be played in Swan Hill on April 1 and 2 had been cancelled along with the carnival for under 14 and under 15 players and a come and try day for youth girls.
Interleague try-outs have also been postponed and the fate of the series is still in doubt as leagues make long-term decisions about the future of the 2020 season.
AFL Central Murray regional operations manager Sheridan Harrop said the fate of Central Murray and Golden Rivers football and netball was still up in the air.
“We’re having daily phone conversations with the AFL to get an update with the whole situation,” she said.
“At the moment, we’re waiting on advice from the AFL regarding their recommendations for community football.
“We’re having a board (Central Rivers Board) meeting tonight to make a decision about the season, but at this stage, the possibility of postponing the season until the start of May is strong. 
“A lot is in the air at the moment as advice is always changing, but like everyone else, we’re hoping to go ahead with the season. 
“In our meeting, we’ll discuss how we’ll potentially combat postponing of the season. 
“We’ve got to consider that we’ll clash with other sports like cricket if we have to continue our fixture into October.
“As a result, we’d have to talk to the cricket organisers and the local government. 
“We’ll also be discussing non-essential things like practice matches, representative games like interleague, and even club trainings.”
The final decision will be announced tomorrow.
AFL Central Victoria confirmed a delayed season across Loddon Valley, North Central and Heathcote and District leagues yesterday morning, with a May estimate for starting.
Woorinen Youth Girls also fall under the AFL Central Victoria banner and training has been cancelled.
The entire Victorian Football League (VFL) season has been suspended until May 31 along with interstate equivalents in South Australia, Western Australia, Tasmania and the Northern Territory.   
This includes women’s VFL matches while the AFLW remain unclear on how to proceed with its series just one week out from finals.
Swan Hill District Health advised their This Girl Can – Victoria events scheduled from March 23-29 have also been postponed in the wake of the virus.
This Girl Can Social Sixes/Football Come and Try, Bowling with Babies and Men’s Health Golf and Bowls Day are all affected.
Swan Hill Jockey Club issued a statement via their website advising this Friday’s scheduled race meeting in Swan Hill would proceed.
The statement read “all professional country and metropolitan race meetings from March 17 until at least April 13 will proceed as programmed with only limited personal permitted to attend”.