New Delhi [India], March 20 (ANI): The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is leaving no stone unturned to hold the upcoming edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) without any glitch and the cricket body is taking all precautions in ensuring that the safety of players remains a priority.
A document listing Standard Operating Procedure (SoPs) for the upcoming edition of the IPL has been accessed by ANI and as per the 50-page document, the board has listed the protocols that need to be followed if a player ends up testing positive for Covid-19 during the tournament.
The suspected/positive cases will be immediately isolated from the rest of the squad and the team doctor will be required to inform the BCCI Chief Medical Officer immediately. The local health authority will also be immediately notified of the positive RT-PCR test result.
“The case will be managed in close coordination with accredited hospitals and treatment centres equipped with COVID-19 testing and treatment. All concerned cases shall be dealt with as per the guidelines set by the government applicable to that particular area,” states the BCCI SoP.
“All individuals who have been in close contact with the case during the previous 48 hours starting from the time of collection of the sample which resulted in a positive test, will be isolated and tested. All casual contacts in the last 48 hours starting from the time of collection of the sample which resulted in a positive test, will also be isolated and tested immediately,” it adds.
If the individual is asymptomatic or has mild symptoms, he/she will be isolated in the designated area outside the bio-secure environment for a minimum of 10 days from the first day of symptoms or the date of collection of the sample which resulted in a positive RT-PCR report whichever is earlier.
“During the 10-day isolation, the individual must rest and avoid any exercises. The team doctor should regularly monitor the case. If symptoms worsen during the course of isolation, the individual must be hospitalised immediately,” the BCCI SoP states.
“During the 10-day isolation, the individual will undergo an RT-PCR test on Day 9 and Day 10. Provided, both the test results from Day 9 and Day 10 are negative, and he/she does not have any symptoms for more than 24 hours, the individual will be permitted to re-enter the Bio-Secure Environment. After recovery, players must undergo a cardiac screening before resuming any team activities,” it adds.
To account for any false positive RT-PCR test results, viz. anyone with a high CT-value and history of COVID-19 infection in the previous 90 days, serology tests will be conducted for the presence of IgG antibodies. If the serology test shows high IgG antibody levels indicating a recent infection, a repeat RT-PCR test will be conducted and if the result of the same is negative, the participant will be allowed to re-enter the bio-bubble immediately.
Regarding vaccination of players and support staff during IPL 2021, the BCCI has said: “In India, the first group to get vaccinated against COVID-19 included healthcare and frontline workers. The second group to receive the COVID-19 vaccine will be persons over 60 years of age as of January 1st, 2022, and persons between 45 and 59 years with comorbid conditions. The Government of India is yet to announce the schedule for vaccination of other groups of people including elite athletes.” (ANI)
