New Zealand Breakers COVID Protocol Infringement

SKY Sport New Zealand Breakers player Dan Trist will miss tonight’s game against the Adelaide 36ers and will need to be isolated from the team for 14 days.

A family member of Trist’s had been given permission by the team to visit him in Adelaide. The club gave permission for the visit without first seeking the consent of the NBL in breach of the League’s COVID protocols.

As a consequence of that visit, Trist is regarded by the Western Australian Government as having been in “close contact” with a person who has been in a restricted zone (in this instance the State of Victoria) in the past 14 days.

Trist is unable to enter WA for the Breakers’ game against the Perth Wildcats in Round 3.

Trist was immediately isolated from the rest of the team to ensure that they remain eligible to enter WA without need to quarantine, which means that he will not be available to take part in the Sky SPORT New Zealand Breakers’ game in Adelaide.

NBL Commissioner Jeremy Loeliger said: “The Breakers have cooperated with the League to ensure that the impact of this oversight on the competition is mitigated.

“While it was an inadvertent breach of our protocols, the reality is that Western Australian guidelines preclude him from playing in the State next week, and as such the decision has been made that it is in the best interests of the club that he remain isolated from the team for the next 14 days so as not to jeopardise anyone else’s ability to play freely.

“It is critical that we safeguard the schedule and the competition and all parties concerned have taken immediate steps to ensure that has occurred.”