Pakistan announces coronavirus guidelines for Pakistan Super League cricket matches

ISLAMABAD: The National Command and Operation Center (NCOC), the Pakistani government’s central body dealing with the coronavirus pandemic, has issued guidelines for spectators of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) tournament which starts on February 20.
Earlier this month, the Pakistan Cricket Board announced that matches would be played with only 20 percent spectators at two stadiums in Karachi and Lahore.
Pakistan’s inaugural national cricket league, launched in 2016, has been a huge success, even though many of the matches in the first five editions had to be played in the United Arab Emirates due to security risks. Last year, all matches of the series were played in Pakistan for the first time, but the final in March was delayed due to the COVID-19 outbreak and finally played in November before an empty stadium.
“The purpose of these guidelines is to outline the procedures and protocols in place at the proposed venues of PSL 6 for 20% spectators in attendance,” NCOC said in statement issued this week.
“There will be basic health (symptoms) and temperature checks in place for spectators at every entry point. Should any person display symptoms while at the stadium they will be directed toward the stadium hospital immediately and may be refused entry to the stadium,” it added.
NCOC said PCB had built a five-bed temporary hospital, with doctors and paramedics, at both venues of the matches.
Tickets would be sold online and could be printed at home. People would sit two seats apart, wear masks and groups had to be members of the same family.
Pakistan had largely been starved of international cricket since a 2009 attack on a bus carrying Sri Lankan cricketers in Lahore, which killed eight Pakistanis and wounded six players and a British coach. The incident forced Pakistan to play home matches in the United Arab Emirates, with foreign players refusing to play on Pakistani soil.
But the unprecedented popularity of PSL, which brought 40 foreign players to the country in 2019, is seen as pivotal in changing the global cricket community’s opinion of Pakistan’s ability to host international matches.
Over 80 million people, roughly 70 percent of Pakistan’s TV-viewing public, tuned in to watch the final game of the series last year.
Six teams play in the series, representing the cities of Peshawar, Lahore, Karachi, Islamabad, Quetta and Multan.