The mystery Channel 7 staff is identified as Mel McLaughlin who confirmed she caught Covid during the Boxing Day Test.
Channel 7 revealed on December 27 that a member of their Ashes cricket coverage had tested positive, forcing a number of commentators to isolate until they received a negative result.
When she confirmed that she was fully vaccinated and that the news came as a ‘big shock’.
“I am double-vaxxed, I’d had the booster shot, I was producing negative daily rapid tests and then on Boxing Day night my PCR test was positive and my dream gig of hosting the Boxing Day Test was over,’ she said.
Mel has been isolated since receiving the diagnosis on the 26th of December and said she was ‘pretty sick for a couple of days.
Due to Seven’s strict Covid protocols, the network had to replace its entire commentary team of Mel, Ricky Ponting, Ian Botham, Simon Katich, James Brayshaw, Alison Mitchell, Tim Lane, Greg Blewett, Matthew Hayden, Trent Copeland, Glenn McGrath, Damien Fleming, and Peter Lalor.
Big Bash commentators Alastair Nicholson, Andy Maher, and Jason Richardson led the coverage instead.
Seven confirmed the changes in a statement at the time but didn’t name Mel as the positive case.
‘The Seven Network confirms it is responding after a member of staff working on the Ashes broadcast at the MCG tested positive to COVID-19 on Sunday night,’ the network’s Head of Sport Lewis Martin said.
‘The staff member was asymptomatic at the time of testing and has been in self-isolation since the moment the positive test was returned.
‘Seven is activating its Covid measures to ensure the health and safety of all staff, as well as the broader community, and is working in line with all relevant guidelines and regulations. We are working closely with the MCG operational team and Cricket Australia.
‘Just as the broader community is experiencing, we have Covid response scenarios to ensure the impact on Seven’s broadcast is limited.
‘There have been a number of changes to today’s production schedule, which will be led by Alistair Nicholson, Andy Maher, and Jason Richardson with expert comments from Lisa Sthalekar, Brad Hodge, Callum Ferguson, Michael Atherton, and Dirk Nannes.
‘Seven’s number one priority is the health, safety, and welfare of all staff and the community.’
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Editor’s note: This post was originally published in November 2021 by Daily Mail and has been updated for comprehensiveness.
