The annual Marlo Triathlon, set for this Saturday, has been COVID cancelled.
Run by the Orbost Snowy Rovers Football Netball Club and Riviera Triathlon Club, both parties decided it was best to cancel the event following news of a recent COVID- 19 outbreak with the potential to affect East Gippsland.
“This was always a possibility given the uncertainty of the current times, but the decision has been based on our need to protect the safety of our small community and the health of our region overall,” the triathlon club said in a statement.
It is the second year in a row the popular triathlon has been cancelled following last year’s abandonment due to the bushfires.
COVID CONCERN
The COVID-19 concern in East Gippsland stems from two COVID- positive people, linked to a cluster from a Thai restaurant in the Melbourne suburb of Black Rock, who visited a number of venues and establishments in Lakes Entrance on December 29 and 30, while also catching a V/Line bus and train in and out of Bairnsdale station.
A number of places were identified as exposure sites and people who attended these venues or felt they had symptoms were urged to get tested and isolate until receiving their results.
A pop-up testing site was set up at the Lakes Entrance Aquadome on Saturday afternoon and as of Tuesday morning no positive results had been returned.
The news of a positive case in Lakes
Entrance came with the closure of local café, Albert & Co, which had to undertake a deep clean and have all staff tested, as well as Chant’s Summer Carnival, which also had all its staff tested.
Albert & Co was able to reopen yesterday morning while the carnival will reopen today.