India’s cricket captain Virat Kohli and his actor wife Anushka Sharma on Friday issued a joint appeal for self-isolation to combat the Covid-19 pandemic. Kohli and Anushka posted a video message on Twitter, appealing everyone to stay at home. “We all know we are going through a very difficult time,” Kohli said. “And the only way to stop the spread of coronavirus is by acting together,” urged Anushka. Kohli said: “We are staying at home for our safety and for everyone else’s one. Let’s make it safe for us and everyone else by self-isolation,” said Kohli while Anushka concluded with: “Stay at home and stay healthy.”
NZ quarantine
New Zealand cricketers and support staff members have gone into a 14-day self-isolation period after returning from their aborted Australia tour. New Zealand Cricket confirmed that all 15 players and support staff members who returned from Sydney last weekend have gone into lockdown at home as per the government’s directive.
No cancellation: Bach
The International Olympic Committee is considering various scenarios for the Tokyo Games amid the coronavirus pandemic but cancellation is not one of them, IOC president Thomas Bach said.
Bach said the IOC was not even considering scrapping the Games. “The cancellation is not on the agenda. We are committed to the success of these Games,” he said. “What makes this crisis so unique and so difficult to overcome is the uncertainty. Nobody today can tell you what the developments are tomorrow, what they are in one month, not to mention in more than four months.”
Other updates
- Brazilian soccer clubs have joined the fight against coronavirus by offering their stadiums and training grounds to authorities. Bahia, Athletico Paranaense and Sao Paulo are among the clubs who made the offer on Thursday.
- Manchester United will keep paying their casual staff even if the season’s remaining Premier League games are cancelled or played in empty stadiums. United said the payment would reduce the financial uncertainty facing its casual workforce.
- Italian soccer clubs, players and fans have banded together to raise millions of euros to support the country’s stretched health system. AS Roma delivered 8,000 pairs of protective gloves and 2,000 bottles of hand sanitiser while Inter Milan donated 300,000 face masks to the public health department. AC Milan striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic launched a ‘Kick the Virus Away’ campaign on Thursday, putting in the first 100,000 euros himself.
- The Badminton World Federation (BWF) on Friday suspended five more tournaments, including three continental championships crucial for Tokyo Olympics qualification. Agencies