Punjab Minister for Sports, Youth Affairs and Tourism Rai Taimoor Khan Bhatti has announced the Standard Operational Procedure (SOPs) for sports training activities across the province.
Punjab Minister for Sports, Youth Affairs and Tourism Rai Taimoor Khan Bhatti, in a statement on Monday said that all players, teams and coaches of the province etc will have to follow Punjab govt’s SOPs strictly to combat with the coronavirus. “All open tournaments, matches and other sports competitions will remain suspended till the complete eradication of coronavirus”.
Giving details of SOPs, Punjab Minister for Sports, Youth Affairs and Tourism Rai Taimoor Khan Bhatti said separate training gear should be used in sports like boxing, judo and karate. “The training activities of games like football, hockey, badminton and table tennis could be conducted in small groups with social distancing in place,” he elaborates.
“The games such as volleyball and basketball where players used to share combine playing facilities will be banned completely during the Covid-19 pandemic. However, team and individual games could be competed in water with social distancing in place”.
Punjab Minister for Sports, Youth Affairs and Tourism Rai Taimoor Khan Bhatti further said that temperature of players should be checked at all entry points of sports grounds and training centers. “All the players and officials must use face masks in gathering while traveling for training. Six-feet social distancing should also be followed at training sites, changing rooms and sports offices etc,” he added.
Director General Sports Punjab Adnan Arshad Aulakh, in his statement, urged the players to sanitize their sports gear and wash their hands repeatedly especially before and after the training sessions. “Players should always cover their face and nose while coughing and sneezing. The players who have fever or cough must be sent for check up immediately,” he advised.
Director General Sports Punjab Adnan Arshad Aulakh warned that legal action could be taken against the persons who committed the violation of Punjab govt’s SOPs.