BHUBANESWAR: The uncertainty over the FIH Men's Junior Hockey World Cup has been put to rest with Hockey India on Thursday receiving quarantine-related exemptions for participating teams from the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
As many as 16 teams - India, Korea, Malaysia, Pakistan, South Africa, Egypt, Belgium, Poland, France, Germany, Netherlands, Spain, USA, Canada, Chile and Argentina - will participate in the World Cup to be held at Kalinga Stadium here from November 24 to December 5, 2021.
In a letter to Joint Secretary in the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports LS Singh, his counterpart in the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare Lav Agarwal said that all participants from foreign countries may be exempted from mandatory home quarantine requirements with some conditions.
The letter said that it will be ensured that the pre-arrival RT-PCR COVID-19 test for all participants is conducted within 72 hours of departure. Participants arriving from Europe and Middle East countries will be tested on arrival in India. They will give their samples and exit the airport, it added.
All participants will self monitor their health for 14 days after arrival in India and if they develop any symptoms suggestive of COVID-19, they will isolate themselves and report the same to the event organisers/nearest COVID-19 health facility/national or state helpline.
The letter advised that the participants should minimise public interaction and follow COVID appropriate behaviour like wearing of mask, maintaining physical distancing, respiratory and hand hygiene throughout their stay.
The letter asked the department of Sports to monitor the participants and said that in case anyone develops any symptoms during the stay in India, RT-PCR test will have to be conducted. If found positive, the participant will be isolated and managed, and his contacts will be quarantined.
In a separate letter, the Deputy Director General of Disaster Management Cell of Ministry of Health and Family Welfare Pradeep Khasnobis said that as England has been replaced by Poland, the participants from the country will also be exempted from mandatory home quarantine requirements.