CHENNAI: Detection of cases of Omicron subvariant BF.7 in India including the one in Odisha has put Hockey India (HI) on high alert. The FIH Odisha Hockey Men's World Cup 2023 is scheduled to kick off on January 13 and the latest development has forced the HI office-bearers to reassess their preparations with the inaugural match less than a fortnight ago.
"It (detection of cases) happened today only. We (HI office-bearers) spoke about it today and will meet again soon. I can say that the World Cup will be organised following all the precautionary measures and protocols issued by the central and Odisha governments," Bhola Nath Singh, HI secretary-general, told this daily.
The fresh cases in the country meant the union government held a Covid review meeting on Wednesday. The government has also advised people to get vaccinated and mask-up. It also emphasised that random sample testing will be conducted at airports for passengers arriving from China and other countries.
While the new strain has led to a massive surge in Covid cases in China, cases have also been detected in several countries including the US, the UK and European nations such as Belgium, Germany, France and Denmark.
As many as 16 hockey teams from across the globe will play 44 matches at two venues — the Birsa Munda Hockey Stadium in Rourkela and Kalinga Hockey Stadium in Bhubaneswar with the final on January 29 scheduled at the latter venue.
The teams competing in the tournament are Australia, Belgium, the Netherlands, Argentina, Germany, New Zealand, England, France, Korea, Malaysia, Spain, South Africa, Japan, Chile, and Wales apart from the hosts. India are in Group D with Spain, England, and Wales, and will begin their campaign against Spain on Day 1 in Rourkela.
Speaking on the participating teams and their concerns amid the surge in Covid cases, Singh said, "No team has contacted us yet. Everything is going on as per schedule. The latest development has put HI in alert mode. Whatever instructions we receive from the central government, we will abide by them and ensure that the tournament is being organised in a protective environment."
As per news reports, BF.7 is a sub-lineage of the Omicron variant BA.5 and has the strongest infection ability since it is highly transmissible, has a shorter incubation period, and has a higher capacity to cause reinfection or infect even those vaccinated.
As far as cases detected in the country are concerned, the first was detected in October by Gujarat Biotechnology Research Centre. So far, two cases have been reported from Gujarat while one case has been reported from Bhubaneswar, one of the venues of the tournament.