The Board of Control for Cricket in India ahs issued a Standard Operating Procedure to all the franchises regarding the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL) which is scheduled to happen from September 19 to November 10 this year.
According to a report by the ESPNCRICINFO, the SOP includes rigours testing, travel, training and lodging rules for the players and the support staffs and other officials.
Here are a few key points from the report
- All the members who are travelling to be tested negative twice within a 24-hour window before assembling to leave for UAE
- If infected, they would have to undergo a two week quarantine before getting tested twice again. If tested negative twice, then they might travel and join the squad.
- Members will be tested at the UAE airport as soon as they land before getting to the hotel.
- Each team would stay in a seperate hotel and they would undergo a seven day quarantine before starting training.
- During quarantine, they will be tested thrice and only if all three tests come negative they can join the squad.
- Everyone would be tested on the fifth day of every week.
- Non-Indian players and staff have to carry the negative result of the test carried out in the last 96 hours before arriving in the UAE.
- If someone tests positive during the tournament, they would undergo self isolated quarantine in a santised room of the same hotel.
- Social distancing to be practiced even within the bubble and the members are strictly advised not to break the bubble.
- Families of squad members are allowed to travel to the UAE and stay inside the bio-secure bubble, but the final decision on that front will remain with each franchise.
- It is mandatory that each team should have a medical doctor on board to help them
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