Key Points:
- The government of Bengal has decided upon opening the stadiums and sports complexes outside the containment zones with ‘Full Sitting Capacity’.
- Government “has also decided to allow resumption of full activities at the swimming pools”.
- Filtration and Chlorination of the swimming pools have to be ensured by the swimming pool authorities.
Now that the threat of Covid-19 is gradually reducing, the government of Bengal has decided upon opening the stadiums and sports complexes outside the containment zones with ‘Full Sitting Capacity’. The decision was taken on Wednesday and not just the stadiums but resumption of full activities at swimming pools has also been allowed.
“The state government has decided to allow reopening of stadiums and sport complexes outside containment zones with full seating capacity for outdoor sports events following general rules of social distancing, thorough sanitation of premises before, during and after any event and use of masks and sanitisers by all individuals and the athletes while they are not competing,” the state government’s notification read. Adding in it stated that the government “has also decided to allow resumption of full activities at the swimming pools” following similar Covid protocols.
Filtration and Chlorination of the swimming pools have to be ensured by the swimming pool authorities. The Youth Services and Sports department has already started taking necessary measures to ensure that all its stadiums and sports complexes reopen from Thursday.
“Sanitisation of the premises before and after any event, maintaining physical distance and use of masks and sanitisers by all have been made mandatory, even when one is not participating in any event,” it said.
Currently, there are 1,842 ‘district-wise broad-based containment zones’ in Bengal, as per the state government’s ‘Egiye Bangla’ website.
Within the premises of the sporting field, the gathering of spectators will be governed by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) and Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) from time to time, states the SOP.
For larger events, the Ministry has advised following CCTV monitoring all over the place. The athletes have also been asked to maintain physical distancing of at least six feet and this rule will only be given exception once the athletes are in the field of play.
