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LAHORE: Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Monday shut its offices in Lahore after a staff member tested positive for the coronavirus.
The identity of the staffer has not been disclosed but he was reportedly not present in Karachi during Pakistan Super League (PSL) which was suspended due to the rising number of women.
The PCB has asked its employees to work from home for the next three days as a precautionary measure. It also issued COVID-19 SOPs for the staff members and instructed them to strictly follow them.
Meanwhile, all activities at the ongoing National High-Performance Centre (NHPC) camp for elite cricketers have also been suspended and the decision to resume will be made later.
Earlier, the PCB has appointed two infectious disease experts as independent members of the fact-finding panel that will review the bio-secure protocols as well as the bylaws that were put in place during the PSL.
Dr Syed Faisal Mahmood is an Associate Professor, Section of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Aga Khan University, while Dr Salma Muhammad Abbas is a Consultant Infectious Diseases and General Medicine with the Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital and Research Centre, Lahore.
The independent panel will submit its findings and recommendations by March 31. The panel has been tasked to carry out a holistic and detailed review of the COVID-19 SOPs for the PSL, identify any gaps and advise on the reasons why the bio-secure environment did not remain virus-free.
PCB Chairman Ehsan Mani said the board takes the health and safety of its players, support personnel and match officials seriously. “The independent panel of two distinguished experts has been appointed with the sole purpose of an honest, constructive and objective review.”
“The independent panel will speak with all the relevant stakeholders, including the event and hotel staff, medical and compliance officers, team players and managements, so that we can get a better understanding how the cases occurred,” he said in a statement
Last week, the PSL was delayed with immediate effect after seven people participating in the tournament had tested positive for COVID-19.
