Biosecurity experts have advised the NRL that unvaccinated players are “almost certain” to contract COVID if they attend the Rugby League World Cup in the UK in November, the Daily Telegraph has revealed.
The biosecurity report – which is 38 pages long – states: “The NRL reconsiders participation (does not participate) in the RLWC in 2021 on grounds of biosecurity risk to NRL players, officials and other personnel for both potential unvaccinated (high risk) and vaccinated (some risk) populations.
“The risk controls proposed by the RLWC organisers within the United Kingdom and during Phase 3 of this deployment moderately reduce risk, particularly to vaccinated individuals, but do not substantively alter the likelihood of exposure or infection of unvaccinated individuals.
“It is assessed that any participant is likely to come into contact with a Covid-19 case at some point during the proposed deployment.
“Infection is assessed as almost certain were that to occur in an unvaccinated individual contacting a carrier of a Covid Variant of Concern in the context of competition.”
World Cup organisers are still trying to find out the best possible solution to the problem, with full cancelation rather than postponement the likeliest choice if the tournament doesn’t go ahead.
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