Weekly tests and daily health emails, life inside golf's bio-bubble

In an interview to The New Indian Express, Gurbaaz Mann, Sharma's long-time mentor, lifts the lid on what life has been like inside the bio-bubble.
Shubhankar Sharma of India plays a shot on the 18th hole during the third round of the DP World Tour Championship golf tournament in Dubai. (Photo: AP)
Shubhankar Sharma of India plays a shot on the 18th hole during the third round of the DP World Tour Championship golf tournament in Dubai. (Photo: AP)

CHENNAI: As soon as Shubhankar Sharma wakes up every morning, he is required to open his email, indicate how he is feeling at that point in time -- including any possible symptoms for Covid-19 -- and send it back. It's a constant reminder of the life of an athlete in a professional setting amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Sharma, who left Chandigarh to play on the British swing of the European Tour last week, has already been tested thrice (last on Sunday). By the time he leaves the UK to head back to India at the end of this month, he will have gone through the process a few more times. In an interview to The New Indian Express, Gurbaaz Mann, Sharma's long-time mentor who has travelled with the 24-year-old, lifts the lid on what life has been like inside the bio-bubble. Excerpts...

How was the first tournament back, what are the differences?

Almost everything. Interaction with other golfers is limited to 'hi' and 'bye' in the clubhouse before the round. We aren't allowed outside the resort to safeguard the bubble and there are sanitisers kept all over the course. All of us have individual rooms and there are a very limited number of items that we can order from outside. For one, we cannot order food. In the restaurant in the resort, all tables are limited to two. I can go on (laughs).

What happens inside every tournament?

Every morning, we get emails asking how we feel and whether we have symptoms related to the virus. That information has to be uploaded so that we get everyday health accreditation. Apart from that, there are thermal checks in most places. Hand shakes and fist bumps are a no no, we have been asked not to do that.

Do each and every tournament come up with their own concept of a bio-bubble?

Yes. When we reach a tournament, we are given an 'amber pass' (entry pass). Once that happens, we are tested for the virus. Once the results are out, we are given another pass which gives us the right to move freely within that bubble. To give you an example, we left Birmingham and reached Hertfordshire yesterday (Sunday) where Shubhankar will play in the English Championship. As soon as we came here, we were tested before we entered the bubble for this tournament. This process will repeat itself till we come back to India.

Recently, Jofra Archer had an unauthorised stop while moving between two venues and he fell foul of bio-bubble regulations. Is there any hard and fast rule that you two have to follow while travelling?

Not really. According to the European Tour, transport is the player's responsibility. Shubhankar and I hired a car and we are going to be using that throughout the British swing. Of course, nobody else will be using the car. As far as unauthorised stops are concerned, we will be visiting gas stations for fuel and so on. Apart from that, we will be following the British government mandated rules and regulations: wearing face masks, maintaining social distancing and so on.
 

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