In a recent development, the South African cricket team players have been asked to self-quarantine for the next couple of weeks after they were forced to return to their country midway from an ODI tour to India as the series was called off keeping in view the COVID-19 concerns.
Cricket South Africa’s chief medical officer, Dr Shuaib Manjra has gone on record claiming that the players have been told to indulge in self-isolation and they would be tested for the virus in case they begin to show symptoms.
“We have recommended the players social distance themselves from others and self-isolate for a minimum of 14 days. I think that is proper guidance to protect themselves, people around them, their families and their communities,” he was quoted as saying by PTI.
“In that period, if any of them have symptoms or any other factors that is cause for concern, we will ensure this is investigated appropriately and managed accordingly with the protocols that are in place,” he added.
Notably, the Proteas team were scheduled to play as many as three ODIs during the tour to South Africa. The first match in Dharamshala was washed out while the remaining were two were called off.
While the virus has infected close to 2,00,000 people worldwide, in India the number is nearing 150 with 3 deaths reported.
“Some of the players wore masks while we were travelling. Others decided not to wear masks – that was up to them. We were pretty isolated during travel and largely immunised from the outside world,” said Manjra.
The South African team had a stopover in Kolkata before heading back home as the city had not reported a single case of the virus.
“We have looked at the recommendations made for different countries by the World Health Organisation and other authoritative bodies. We have since educated the players about the disease – what it is, what it means, what its symptoms are,” Manjra said.
“We have educated them on how to monitor themselves about temperature and the other symptoms that come with COVID-19. Our experts remain available to them, even after the tour,” he added.