MCA shuts down office for three days after 15 staff members test COVID-19 positive

India has witnessed a surge in COVID-19 cases in the last 10 days or so. Owing to the same, cricket activities in the country have also come to a standstill. As per the latest development, the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) on Friday (January 7) decided to shut down its office for three days after 15 of their staff members tested positive for COVID-19.

It must be noted that Mumbai has been one of India’s most-affected regions due to COVID-19. On Thursday (January 6), the capital of Maharashtra reported 20,181 new COVID-19 cases, a new all-time high in a single day. Moreover, four patients succumbed to the virus, as per a bulletin issued by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC). Hence, this decision of MCA was pretty much on the cards.

“The staff members have tested positive for COVID-19, following which we have closed the office for three days from today,” an MCA source was quoted say saying by News18. As mentioned above, the COVID-19 virus has once again affected India’s domestic competitions.

Ranji Trophy and other domestic competitions postponed indefinitely

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has postponed the Ranji Trophy, Col C K Nayudu Trophy & Senior Women’s T20 League for the 2021-22 season amid the rising cases in the country. For the unversed, Ranji Trophy and Col C K Nayudu Trophy were scheduled to get underway later this month. On the other hand, the Senior Women’s T20 League was scheduled to kick-start in February.

However, all these competitions have now been postponed for the time being. BCCI, in an official statement, said that it doesn’t want to risk the health of players and staff members. Hence, this tough decision was taken.

“BCCI does not want to compromise the safety of the players, support staff, match officials and other participants involved and hence, has decided to put the three tournaments on hold till further notice. The BCCI will continue to assess the situation and take a call on the start of the tournaments accordingly,” said BCCI secretary Jay Shah in an official statement.

“BCCI thanks and continues to appreciate the efforts of the healthcare workers, state associations, players, support staff, match officials and all the service providers who put their best foot forward to host more than 700 matches across 11 tournaments in the current 2021-22 domestic season,” he added.