NSW Swifts head coach Briony Akle has been granted a travel exemption by health authorities in Queensland to enter the Sunshine State.
The Premiership-winning former player and coach has been in isolation in Adelaide for the past two weeks after she was identified as a close contact of a patron who attended a Tier 1 exposure zone when the Suncorp Super Netball competition was operating out of Melbourne.
This forced Akle to miss the Swifts’ Round 12 loss to the Collingwood Magpies in Brisbane on Tuesday evening.
Under the terms of entry to Queensland, Akle will still need to isolate when she lands in Brisbane but she has been granted a special exemption to attend Swifts training sessions and games. The Swifts' physio, who was forced into isolation along with Akle, has also been granted the same travel exemption.
Queensland’s border to South Australia remains closed despite Adelaide ending its successful snap lockdown to curb the spread of COVID-19.
The six-time Premiers are aiming to cement their place in the Finals Series, and push for a top-two regular-season finish, when they face the Adelaide Thunderbirds on Wednesday and the Sunshine Coast Lightning on the following Saturday.
Swifts Executive General Manager Nikki Horton thanked Netball Australia and the Queensland Government for their assistance in the exemption process.
"This is great news for Briony, our physio and our club, and I would like to extend thanks to the health authorities, Netball Australia and the staff involved in getting the team back together," she said.
"Briony has been keeping herself isolated in Adelaide well past her official isolation period to aid the process and that demonstrates her commitment.
"It's been a very tough few weeks for Briony and her kids, who will go home to Sydney now. I would like to add a special thank you to her family and our physio's family who have been so strong over the past number of weeks."
