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COVID-19: No public gathering at any sporting event, advises Sports Ministry

The advisory implies that in case the IPL is held on its schedule that is March 29 to May 24, it may be played behind closed doors.  

COVID-19: No public gathering at any sporting event, advises Sports Ministry

Kiren Rijiju. (File Photo: IANS)

In the wake of the novel coronavirus, the Sports Ministry on Thursday asked all national federations to ensure that any sporting event in India is conducted without any public gathering.

“To deal with the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19), the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare has issued advisories and advised the state governments to take appropriate action under the Epidemic Diseases Act,1897.

“You are advised to adhere to the advisories issued by the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare and ensure that no public gathering takes place in any sporting event. In the event, the sporting event cannot be avoided, the same could be done without allowing gathering of people, including spectators,” the Sports Ministry said in a letter to the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) and all national sports federations, including the BCCI. (Source: IANS)

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The advisory implies that in case the IPL is held on its schedule that is March 29 to May 24, it may be played behind closed doors.

According to the latest data available, seventy-three people in the country have tested positive for the virus, which has spread over 100 countries, killed over 4,5000, and a major chunk of them are tourists from Italy.

The Indian government, meanwhile, has suspended all visas till April 15 due to a sharp increase in the number of coronavirus cases in the last two weeks.

Notably, the coronavirus outbreak on Wednesday was declared a “pandemic” by the World Health Organisation (WHO), whose chief expressed his “deep concern” over the “alarming levels of inaction” in combating the virus spread.

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