'No other reason': Saina Nehwal accuses BWF for hosting All England Open amid Coronavirus

India's badminton ace Saina Nehwal slammed the Badminton World Federation (BWF) for holding the All England Open 2020 amid the outbreak of the pandemic coronavirus & said accused them of neglecting the welfare & feelings of the players. The Indian badminton team comprising of P Kashyap, Saina Nehwal, Kidambi Srikanth, and others were in England the previous week for the All England Open and had sent an SOS to the Indian Health Ministry seeking further directions as the travel advisory was issued. Taking to Twitter, Saina Nehwal slammed the world body for not considering the feelings & the welfare of the players and accused the apex body of doing so for merely financial reasons. 

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Saina Nehwal slams BWF 

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P Kashyap & co give SOS call

Indian badminton ace Parupalli Kashyap sought a clarification from the Health Ministry on the advisory issued as the Indian badminton team was at present in Birmingham, United Kingdom, taking part in the All England Open. The Health Ministry has imposed travel restrictions on Indian nationals returning to the country, asking them to be quarantined for 14 days after their arrival. P Kashyap, along with other shuttlers including  Saina Nehwal, Kidambi Srikanth, Sai Praneeth, Pranaav Jerry Chopra, and Sikki Reddy sought clarification from the Health Ministry and requested urgent contact with the Health Minister in order to clear the air.  

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Coronavirus in India

As of date, the total number of positive cases in India has reached 148, as per the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. Along with it, three deaths have been reported in Kalaburagi, West Delhi and Mumbai respectively. India has suspended all visas, barring for a few categories such as diplomatic and employment apart from keeping in abeyance the visa-free travel facility to OCI cardholders till April 15.

Moreover, the Centre has “strongly advised” Indians to avoid all non-essential travel abroad. The government is also monitoring all suspected cases and has issued preventive advisories. Earlier on Saturday, the Central Government decided to treat the deadly virus as a "notified disaster". Various state governments have issued their own advisories, ranging from work-from-home recommendations to closures of schools and colleges. 

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