Cricketers coming into the country to take part in the Hero Caribbean Premier League (CPL) T20 tournament which bowls off on August 18, has been warned by Prime Minister Dr. Keith Rowley that they must abide by the strict Covid-19 protocol that they have signed because they will not be able to leave the 'Bubble' and run away for a drink.
The Prime Minister made the announcement during the question and answer session of the Ministry of Health weekly coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic press conference at the Diplomatic Centre in St Ann's on Friday.
Prime Minister Rowley said, “Only this morning the Minister of National Security and the Minister of Health was instructed to make sure that it is written in the arrangements that if any player breaches those protocols such person would come under exclusion and would not be allowed to participate in the country’s affairs."
He said, "The CPL is a bubble that will not be affecting the population and hence a player cannot leave that bubble and go down the road for a drink. We are very serious about this. Everything that will go on around the CPL will go on in a bubble that does not interact with the national population. They would be coming into the country under the protocols of entry all having tested negative before and even in the hotel groups of seven [will be required] and after seven days they will move on."
He continued, "They will then go to the venue where they will not be able to mix with the population. It is just like the way we re-opened factories and cloth stores. It is being operated in a bubble and it will be just that, away from the population."
He added that CPL will be paying for their presence in the country. "CPL will be paying for their presence here and for their services. It is something we need at the moment."
At the moment most of the officials and international players have arrived in St. Lucia where they are being housed by Sandals Resorts International. They will then come over to Trinidad on August 3 on a special CPL Charter Flight. They will then go straight to the Hilton Hotel where they will be in self-isolation for seven days before being allowed to join us with their entire squad to prepare for the tournament. After seven days they will be tested again before being allowed to assemble in their groups.
The Hero CPL T20 tournament will place matches at both the Queen's Park Oval in Port-of-Spain and at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy.
The six franchises are the Barbados Tridents, Guyana Amazon Warriors, Jamaica Tallawahs, St Kitts and Nevis Patriots, St Lucia Zouks and Trinbago Knight Riders.
The competition will bowl-off on August 18 and ends on September 10. The opening match takes place between the Trinbago Knight Riders and the Guyana Amazon Warriors at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy in Tarouba, San Fernando from 10 am followed by the defending champions the Barbados Trident against St Kitts and Nevis Patriots from 5:30 pm.