KOLKATA (India): The legendary Eden Gardens cricket stadium is to be used as a quarantine centre for Kolkata Police (KP) who have the coronavirus, Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) said on Saturday.
India’s nationwide coronavirus toll rose Saturday to 820,916 cases with 22,193 deaths.
With the city’s hospitals under growing pressure, hundreds of beds are to be set up in the 80,000 capacity stadium that was used for the 1987 World Cup final.
Nearly 550 Kolkata police have tested positive for the coronavirus and two have died, and has requested CAB to make use of under galleries for makeshift quarantine facility for police personnel on urgent basis.
There was an emergent meeting held at Lal Bazaar with CAB officials and thereafter a joint inspection was undertaken at Eden Gardens.
Among the CAB Office Bearers, Avishek Dalmiya (President, CAB) and Snehasish Ganguly (Hony. Secretary, CAB) were present during the inspection.
“It is our duty to help and support the administration in this hour of crisis. The quarantine facility will be used for police personnel who are COVID-19 warriors,” said Dalmiya.
The beds will be put in galleries around the seating and not on the pitch that was last used by India for a day-night Test against Bangladesh last November.
“Such areas would be thoroughly segregated as a safety measure,” added Dalmiya.
The stadium is also used by the Kolkata Knight Riders Indian Premier League side but this year’s tournament has been repeatedly postponed because of the pandemic.
It has been decided that under galleries of E, F, G and H blocks would be used to set up such facilities. In case, more space is required, then J block might also be used. Such areas would be thoroughly segregated as a safety measure.
“Since, the Administrative functioning majorly happens at Club House, adjacent blocks (B, C, D, K and L) would not be used for it, allowing the Association to use them for conducting its activities and / or for its administrative works,” the CAB said.
The groundsmen and other staffs would be shifted to the dormitories and other safer spaces in B, C, K and L blocks inside the stadium.
