A 28-year-old man has been charged in relation to an incident at Optus Stadium last night, Thursday 16 July 2020, in which it is alleged he breached a COVID-19 quarantine zone.
Approximately 22,000 people attended Optus Stadium for the ‘Collingwood v Geelong’ AFL match. The match was being conducted under the ‘AFL (Venues) Directions’ which had been put in place by Western Australia’s State Emergency Coordinator to facilitate the AFL 2020 Perth Quarantine Hub.
Signage and audio announcements at the match advised attendees that it was an offence to enter the oval, which was deemed a quarantine zone.
It will be alleged a 28-year-old man entered the oval, breaching the quarantine zone, running towards players and match officials. The man was detained by security personnel before he could reach those on the oval.
A 28-year-old man from Mandurah has been charged under Western Australia’s Emergency Management Act with ‘Failed to Comply with a Direction’. He is due to appear in the Perth Magistrates Court on Friday 24 July 2020. The offence carries a maximum fine of $50,000.
Acting Assistant Commissioner Brad SORRELL said the AFL fans in attendance at the match were respectful of the COVID-19 situation, and associated restrictions in place to facilitate the match, and are congratulated on making this a successful event, however this one particular incident was disappointing to see take place.
“Acts of this kind will not be tolerated and are totally unacceptable in our current state of emergency. Our planning kicked in and the stadium security acted decisively and with professionalism to prevent a serious quarantine issue. The AFL, Optus Stadium and WA Police Force engaged in significant planning, working well together and there were no other issues during the match.”
