PREMIERSHIP side Bulawayo City were this week forced to temporarily suspend their training sessions after eight players and their head coach Philani “Beefy” Ncube tested positive for Covid-19.
The players have since been sent for quarantine at Ekusileni Hospital in Matsheumhlophe in Bulawayo.
However, the development raised serious questions as to the exact number of players being affected by the pandemic every week.
The Premier Soccer League (PSL) continues to play hide and seek regarding names and exact figures of players and officials affected by Covid-19.
While in most countries, the identity of players and officials who test positive for Covid-19 is made public, it is a different case in Zimbabwe as the PSL keeps everything under the carpet.
After the Daily News reported on the Bulawayo City issue, the PSL responded by issuing another vague statement saying a number of positive cases have been recorded without revealing the exact statistics and names of affected players.
“The PSL has received reports of a number of positive Covid-19 cases among the PSL clubs,” read the PSL statement.
“Please be advised that we are working with the club doctors and the PSL Sports Medicine Committee and other relevant stakeholders to assist the affected and contain the spread of the virus.
“We advise our clubs and stakeholders to strictly follow the Covid-19 protocols and match operating procedures.”
The recent emergence of Covid-19 cases in the country sends a bad signal to sport and the PSL needs to do more in as far as handling of Covid-19 cases is concerned. There is a need to move with time and reveal the identity of those affected by the pandemic.
Their cases could act as an inspiration to other people out there. Players and official alike must be allowed to tell their stories on how they recover to inspire a lot of people who still treat Covid-19 as a death penalty.
The league was allowed to resume with clubs required to adhere to strict Covid-19 testing protocols. Clubs are required to test their players regularly, constantly fumigate their training premises and playing facilities, conduct health checks, ensure sanitisation and employ compliance officers to enforce health protocols.
These health checks and strict adherence to the health protocols which were recommended by the PSL Sports Medicine Committee, the SRC and World Health Organisation, appear to have contained the situation lately.