Covid plays spoilsport; Dr. T Ao Trophy kept in abeyance

Main stadium, Multi Purpose Hall B, Duda guest house declared containment zone

EM Bureau
Kohima/ Dimapur, April 14 (EMN): The ongoing pandemic has played spoilsport as the 21st Inter-District Football Championship 2021 (Dr. T Ao Trophy) has been kept in abeyance till further order, just three days into the tournament, over detection of Covid-19 cases among ‘representatives from certain districts at the tournament’.

This was informed by the office of the organising committee through a statement on Wednesday.

It stated that necessary precautionary measures have been taken following detection of some Covid cases despite serving necessary directives to all the district football associations to strictly follow SOP and protocols set by the organising committee.

It went on to inform that ‘the positive cases were immediately shifted to the quarantine centre under proper medical care; the rest were kept under confinement and observation, and all necessary SOP and precautionary measures were taken within the perimeter of the affected area to contain the spread of the virus’.

Containment Zone

Meanwhile, the deputy commissioner of Kohima, Gregory Thejawelie, declared the Multi Purpose Hall B and main stadium within the Indira Gandhi Stadium Complex, and Department of Under Developed Areas (Duda) Guest House in Kohima as containment zone in view of detection of Covid-19 positive cases at these locations.

“There shall strictly be no entry or exit within the containment zone. This is necessitated to map the local transmission of the disease and stop the contagion from spreading,” read the order.

“The residents within the containment zone will be regularly monitored by the medical team over phone or otherwise, till they recover and tests negative for Covid-19 infection, and shall henceforth be fully governed by the various SOPs/advisory/guidelines and discharge policy of the government,” it added.

Stating that the containment zone has been mapped and cordoned off, the DC advised the public to follow all safety measures like wearing of masks all the time, frequent washing of hands and maintain social distancing to ensure public and personal safety within the proximity of the containment zone.

“Failure to comply with the aforementioned guidelines will be penalised under Section 51 to 60 of the Disaster Management Act, 2005, the Epidemic Disease Act, 1897 and relevant
sections of the IPC,” the order added.