T20 World Cup 2021: What happens if a COVID-19 positive case emerges during the tournament

After loads of speculations, the 2021 T20 World Cup is set to get underway on Sunday, October 17 with Oman and the UAE being the hosts. Four venues- Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah and Muscat- will host the tournament across a period of four weeks. On Thursday, the International Cricket Council also announced a strong 20-member contingent of match officials for the mega event.

The opening game is set to take place between Oman and Papua New Guinea at the Al Amerat Cricket Ground, Ministry Turf 1. Before the event gets underway, the ICC has put forth a number of guidelines in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. It’s the first multi-nation tournament to take place since the pandemic started and the event had to be moved out of India.

“The 16-team tournament will be played in the UAE and Oman, countries with some of the highest proportion of population vaccinated against COVID-19,” Alex Marshall, the head of integrity and biosafety at the ICC, was quoted as saying in ESPNcricinfo.

Insight into the guidelines for T20 World Cup 2021

1. Close contact with another person

When a person stands two metres away from the other person for at least 15 minutes and 48 hours before symptoms/test, the two persons are said to be in close contacts. Thereafter, they will need to isolate for six days.

“For casual contacts — those who are within physical contact but have their faces covered — there will be a 24-hour period where they are tested and accordingly released,” the publication stated.

2. Hospital facilities

If a cricketer wishes to visit the hospital, he has to avail the available medical facilities in the tournament’s bio-secure bubble. This time around, the ICC has also appointed a psychologist to take care of the players’ mental well-being during the mega event.

3. What happens in case of bio-bubble breach? 

No clear guidelines has been mentioned just yet, but Marshall said that the management must take the matter “very seriously”. He also said that he expects the teams to go by the guidelines set by the apex cricket board.

5. Do crowds need to be doubly vaccinated?

Marshall said that the teams need to strictly follow the guidelines put forth by the state government. In Abu Dhabi and Oman, the fans need to be doubly vaccinated. But the same is not the case in Dubai and Sharjah.

6. Will families be allowed? 

Marshall said that “small number of families” would be allowed to stay with the cricketers. He cited the example of the Indian Premier League to back his comments.

7. Fan regulations

The fans at the venues need to wear masks compulsorily. Marshall said that the fans won’t be allowed to interact directly with the cricketers.

Check the latest updates of the T20 World Cup schedule, T20 World cup Teams and Squads, T20 World Cup Points table, and more on CricTracker.