NEW DELHI, Aug 4: Indian players and support staff will have to return negative for COVID-19 at least five times before they start training in the UAE and subsequently will be tested every fifth day during the IPL, according to a draft prepared by the BCCI.
A BCCI official told PTI that all Indian players and support staff will have to undergo two COVID-19 RT-PCR tests, 24 hours apart, a week before joining the 14-day quarantine period with their respective teams in India. If any individual tests positive, he will go into a 14-day quarantine. After the quarantine, he will be required to undergo two more COVID-19 RT-PCR tests within a space of 24 hours and if they come negative, that person will be cleared to fly to UAE for the IPL beginning September 19.
�Following their arrival in the UAE, the players and support staff will have to return with at least three negative tests during a week�s quarantine and if they are negative, they can enter the bio-bubble and start training.
�There could be minor changes to this protocol depending on the feedback from the teams but there will not be any compromise on players and team officials� safety,� the official said.
During the first week in the UAE, the players and team officials will not be allowed to meet each other in the hotel and they can only do so after they test negative thrice, following which they will be cleared to enter the tournament bio-bubble and start training. � PTI
