Published 20:21 IST, March 13th 2020
Parupalli Kashyap reads Coronavirus riot act to BWF; advises it on tournaments & rankings
In a tweet on Friday, Kashyap appealed to the BWF to suspend all tournaments and freeze the rankings after multiple players have withdrawn from the Swiss Open
Ace Indian badminton player Parupalli Kashyap has expressed that he is shocked by the lack of communication by the Badminton World Federation (BWF) regarding the scheduling of tournaments against the backdrop of the coronavirus.
Kashyap shocked with lack of communication
In a series of tweets on Friday, he appealed to the BWF to suspend all tournaments and freeze the rankings after multiple players had withdrawn from the Swiss Open as a precautionary measure. Various other players have joined him and have asked the association to suspend all tournaments.
Kashyap is currently stuck in Birmingham, England, and on Thursday expressed his helplessness since he had no knowledge of where to go. In an interview with Republic TV, he said that he did not know whether to come back to India or fly to Basel for the tournament. He stated that if he came back to India then he would not be able to participate in another tournament since he is likely to be quarantined.
A total of 88 people have been confirmed with Coronavirus in India and one death has been reported. A 76-year old man from Karnataka died on Thursday "due to co-morbidity and has also tested positive for COVID-19." A press release went on to state that he had a travel history of visiting Saudi Arabia and also had a known case of hypertension and asthma.
On Wednesday evening, the Union Government announced that all existing visas, barring diplomatic, UN/International Organisations, employment and project visas, will stand suspended till April 15, 2020.
This advisory also applies for people with visa-free travel, and to OCI cardholders, whose visa-free access will be temporarily suspended with effect from March 13, 2020. However, the statement mentioned that any foreign national who intends to travel to India for any compelling reason may contact the nearest Indian Embassy for further clarity or guidance.
World Health Organisation (WHO) has declared the novel Coronavirus, or COVID-19, outbreak as a pandemic. Globally, around 4,900 people have died due to Coronavirus, with the epicentre being China. The virus has infected around 1,34,000 people globally and has now spread to North America, South America, Europe, New Zealand, and to more than 100 other countries.
Updated 20:21 IST, March 13th 2020