A growing outbreak of Covid-19 in Sydney's northern beaches region is being closely monitored by Cricket Australia as state governments move to tighten their borders across the nation and force early contingency planning around the SCG Test in the new year.

David Warner, who is currently in Sydney continuing his recovery from the groin injury that ruled him out of the first Test, may be flown to Melbourne early to avoid any potential further border restrictions to Victoria.

Multiple Sydney-based members of the broadcast production teams in Adelaide were stood down as a precaution on Friday morning and the commentator Brett Lee flew home to Sydney, while CA issued a directive to all media covering the Test match to report if they had visited the northern beaches region in the past three weeks.

The cluster centered around Avalon beach to Sydney's north is currently at 28 cases and counting, although New South Wales Health has successfully contact traced all but one of these. The region north of the Spit Bridge is currently under stay-at-home orders, but the South Australian and Victorian borders - both critical to the continuing Test series between Australia and India - remain open to NSW.

Victoria's state government has announced a permit system for NSW visitors to the south, while at the same time advising their own residents not to visit Sydney for the time being.

CA is understood to have remained in constant dialogue with the Melbourne Cricket Club around ensuring a pitch is ready for playing back-to-back Tests at the MCG in the event of Sydney's outbreak growing further.

However, the governing body is adamant it will not make binding decisions too quickly, while also noting that the current situation in Sydney underlines the prudence of maintaining hub protocols around the India series and the concurrent BBL, which has matches scheduled to be played in Tasmania, Queensland, the ACT and South Australia over the next two weeks.

CA's interim chief executive Nick Hockley was due to speak on radio with rights holding broadcasters shortly before play on Friday.

More to come