ECB to consider installing COVID-19 testing checkpoints, isolation units at grounds

The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) are considering installing coronavirus testing checkpoints and isolation units at stadiums once the cricket resumes in the country, according to reports.

As of now, all of English cricket stands suspended until May 28, as per ECB’s directive. While there is no telling as to when the action will resume, the board is preparing for the time that the sport gets the go-ahead from the government.

“We’re mapping out what international matches would look like behind closed doors,” Steve Elworthy, the ECB’s director of events, told The Guardian. “The advice around mass gatherings [before the lockdown] was 500 people or fewer. That was guided by the potential impact on critical services like paramedics and doctors.”

“You would likely have to work within that number, which includes teams, match officials, support staff, broadcasters and media, commercial partners, safety and security teams, third-party suppliers, replay screen operators, [the teams that control] the LED boards, ground staff, catering and more.”

Elworthy also discussed taking into consideration medical conditions and the creation of a safe environment at the venues, so that anyone who is at the game is clear. He also mentioned that people would have to be tested at the gate before being allowed to enter the stadium.

”It’s how you test them at the gate, the isolation units that you have to put in. These are all the considerations we are thinking about.”

While he admitted that whether any of this happens or not is uncertain, Elworthy was certain that the board would not go ahead with any of the fixtures unless it tied in with the national sentiment at the time.