The final of Costa Rica’s first division Clausura football tournament between Saprissa and Alajuelense has been suspended because of a new outbreak of COVID-19 cases.

The two-legged Clausura final had been scheduled to be played on Sunday and Wednesday. Saprissa are seeking their 35th first division title and Alajuelense their 30th.

Health Minister Daniel Salas said on Friday plans to reopen shopping centers, beaches and churches had also been halted until further notice, reports Xinhua news agency.

The move came after the Central American country reported a record 119 new coronavirus cases in 24 hours. The total number of infections surpassed 12,000, of which 12 have been fatal.

“These are not numbers to think that nothing is wrong and that we can continue with the reopening,” Salas told a news conference.

Costa Rican football resumed on May 19, two months after its suspension, under strict sanitary protocols and without fans. Authorities have praised clubs for adhering to the guidelines and no player has tested positive for the virus.

The coronavirus pandemic has brought the entire world to a standstill and the sporting arena is no exception. Most of the high profile tournaments including the Olympics stand postponed.

Even the biggest cricketing spectacle on the planet, the Indian Premier League (IPL), stands suspended indefinitely owing to the coronavirus pandemic. Bundesliga, La Liga, Serie A and Premier League have recently become the high-profile sporting events to resume after almost a three month period with almost no sporting activity.

A few cricketing boards around the world have only recently granted permission to their players to resume training.

The move to restart sporting leagues and tournaments comes after governments are beginning to realise that the coronavirus is here to stay for quite some time and sports among other businesses will need to find a way to co-exist with it.

The virus has already infected more than 8.5 million people around the world while claiming over 450 thousand lives. There is still no sure shot treatment of the disease and social-distancing, self-isolation and maintenance of basic hand hygiene remain the only potent weapons of protecting oneself from contracting the infection.

(With inputs from IANS)