SAI centres to be used as quarantine facilities

New Delhi, March 22

The Sports Authority of India (SAI) centres that have been shut down due to the Covid-19 pandemic will be used as quarantine facilities, the Sports Ministry has said.

The decision to allow all SAI regional centres, stadiums and hostels to be used as quarantine facilities was taken following a request from the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. “Yes, we have decided to allow all our centres to be used as quarantine facilities after the Health Ministry asked for it. It is a pandemic and all the SAI centres are public properties,” sports secretary Radhey Shyam Julaniya said.

“This is a crisis situation and whatever support the government needs, we are ready to provide that,” he added. Julaniya, however, did not specify exactly when these centres will be put to use by the Health Ministry. SAI has 10 regional centres and five stadiums in the National Capital Region. These can be used to create quarantine facilities for at least 2,000 people, according to an official estimate. In the wake of the deadly coronavirus outbreak, all the training camps at the SAI centres, barring for those preparing for the Olympics, were cancelled and athletes were advised to return home by the Sports Ministry. — PTI