What are health and safety protocols for PSL 7?

• PCB finalises health and safety protocols concerning the virus for PSL7.
• Any player who fails to follow protocols will face five penalties depending on nature of violation.
• Serious violations can lead to elimination from team, according to PCB.

LAHORE: Amid the rapid surge in the COVID-19 cases, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Thursday finalised the health and safety protocols concerning the virus for the seventh edition of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) and the players have been made aware of them.

Anyone who fails to follow the protocols will face five penalties depending on the nature of the violation, which includes five to 25% and 25% to 50% match fee deductions, the PCB said in a statement. 

Serious violations can lead to elimination from the team, according to the PCB. The committee will have the right to impose severe punishment on different cases of violation.

Not keeping a distance of six feet, sharing water bottles, kits, towels, and different items, shaking hands before or after the matches, not picking up laundry from the ground or dressing room, using isolation rooms without permission, getting physiotherapy or massages without a mask, getting physiotherapy for more than 15 minutes and going to a prohibited place is in the list of minor violations. 

However, major violations include: Calling someone in your room apart from the maintenance staff, not wearing a mask where required, ordering something in a room without the permission of the manager of bio-secure bubble, not informing the integrity manager of your symptoms, taking medicines to reduce symptoms or to affect test results, meeting someone who has COVID-19 symptoms or is COVID-19 positive, telling someone else about the cases or symptoms outside the bubble. 

The PSL's latest edition will be played in Karachi from January 27 to February 7 and in Lahore from February 10-27.

The first match will be staged under the lights of the National Stadium, where Karachi Kings and Multan Sultans will go head-to-head.