Sports tournament suspended after 5 coronavirus cases in Pune

In view of five positive cases of coronavirus in Pune, the district administration has decided to suspend an ongoing multi-sport tournament and invoked provisions of the Disaster Management Act to implement strict measures to check spread of the disease. As a precaution, the Pune Municipal Corporation has put off the 'Mahapaur Chashak' sports event, currently underway here in Maharashtra.

Athletes from various districts in the state were participating in the event organised by the city civic body. "In view of the positive coronavirus cases reported in the city, we have decided to suspend the sports tournament in which 36 types of sports are being played. The remaining tournament has been put off and will be conducted later," Pune Mayor Murlidhar Mohol said.

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Besides, the district administration has decided to invoke provisions of the Disaster Management Act-2005 to empower officials to implementstrict measures in an efficient manner to contain spread of the virus. Pune Collector Naval Kishore Ram, through an official order issued on Tuesday night, appointed civil surgeon Dr Shok Nandapurkar as the 'incident commander' and district health officer DrBhagwan More as 'controller'.

They have been entrusted with the task of implementing strict measures to contain the virus from spreading. So far, there are five confirmed coronavirus cases in Maharashtra. Samples of a man and a woman from Pune who had been to Dubai recently tested positive on Monday evening. On Tuesday, their daughter and the driver of the cab in which the family had travelled from the Mumbai airport to Pune also tested positive, the collector earlier informed.

Another person who had travelled by the same flight as them also tested positive, the state health department said in a release on Tuesday. The condition of all these patients was stable, the release said, appealing people not to panic.

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