Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi Club have locked the training grounds of football, cricket, tennis and basketball in the club premises while the football team is switched to self-isolated mode to tackle coronavirus spread.
“All sports activities including cricket academy are closed. Around 100 cricketers used to train everyday. Lawn tennis and basketball courts all also closed. The club also has restricted entries inside the premises.” said the club manager Anwarul Karim Helal on Thursday.
Most of the clubs have suspended the training camp and released their local players after the Bangladesh Premier League gets postponed until April but Sheikh Jamal, Sheikh Russel KC, Police FC and Saif Sporting Club carried on the camp.
“We held a meeting yesterday [Wednesday]. The players are told to stay in their rooms,” added Helal. “We will keep the players for 4-5 days before the higher officials take any further decision.”
Coach Shafiqul Islam Manik believed that releasing the players is no solution. “It’s better to keep the players in the camp which is safe and clean. Will they be safe at home if they get released? Because the number of people returned from abroad are more outside Dhaka," expressed the coach.
The club is also planning to set digital thermal device to test the visitors. The club’s physiotherapist Hossain Md Syfuzzaman said, “The situation is like quarantine. The players are isolated. The club is trying to get a device to check temperature of the visitors. This device is also used at the airports.”