DHAKA – The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) medical department felt it’s high time to send a guideline to the players, advising them not to give relief goods in person.
BCB’s chief physician Dr. Devashis Chowdhury felt the urgency of the guidelines in the wake of three players being infected by the Novel Coronavirus which created mayhem around the world.
Former Bangladesh opener Nafees Iqbal was diagnosed with COVID-19 some days ago after which former skipper Mashrafe Bin Mortaza and left-arm spinner Nazmul Islam Opu to fall prey to the deadly virus on Saturday.
While Opu, who was discarded from the national team in 2018, was trying to make his way, Mashrafe still didn’t retire and made it clear that he has the intention to play one-day International for Bangladesh.
“One and only advice for the players is: stay home and don’t get out from the home unless it is badly necessary,” BCB chief physician Dr. Devashis Chowdhury told the reporters here today.
“Mashrafe’s matter is totally different. He is not only a player but also a honorable lawmaker. So as a lawmaker he needed to go to his constituency for giving relief materials for the people. But for the rest of the players, it is not necessary to help people in person,” he added.
Devashis Chowdhury urged the players to support people through different channel.
“Some senior cricketers like Mushfiqur Rahim, Tamim Iqbal, Mahmudullah Riyad are also aiding people but they are doing it through different channel. I will urge all the players to support the people not in person but through other channel,” he added.
Nazmul Islam Opu however was engaged in distributing relief goods to people in person, so as Nafees Iqbal. While some family members of Tamim Iqbal’ elder brother Nafees Iqbal including his mother were infected by the deadly virus, Apu’s parents were also infected.
“It’s now high time to send a guideline to the players, advising them not to help people in person. To support people is a humanitarian act and the players naturally with engage them in aiding people. There was no guideline from the BCB in this regard. But now it should be issued,” Dr. Chowdhury said.
However he said there is nothing to be worried with the COVID-19 infection since 80 percent of the people are getting well by taking treatment at home.
“80 percent of the infected people got well by taking treatment from home. The rest of the 20 percent people’s condition got serious. So there is nothing to be worried. What, we should do is to stay home. We have to be careful and follow the health rules,” he remarked.BSS
