Dr. Ashley Bloomfield, New Zealand health chief, is majorly known to tackle the COVID in the country. Kiwis became the first country to beat the virus successfully and now as the Pakistan tour of New Zealand 2020 has started, the six Men in Green have been tested positive which is an issue taken seriously by the host government.
The host country has threatened to cancel the tour if further breaching of the code of COVID-19 occurs. After the players were spotted breaching the COVID-19 protocols despite signing the agreement, it has left the hosts furious.
New Zealand health chief has made sure to watch the camera footage in which Pakistani players were having interaction, lunch with each other with no masks.
However, no stances of outside interactions of the squad have been clarified yet but the players were supposed to be in their rooms for three days. Read the statements of Dr. Ashley Bloomfield.
New Zealand health chief: Pakistan players knew COVID-19 protocols but breached anyway
“Rather than being in their own rooms, which is a requirement for the first three days, there was some mingling in the hallways, chatting, sharing food and not wearing masks,” Dr. Bloomfield is quoted as telling RNZ.
“I don’t know how many times they did that, but it only needs once for us to take a dim view of it. These players signed up to the arrangements in an undertaking that made what was expected of them very clear. At the moment, they are all required to be in their rooms, which was the requirement anyway. The training exemption would not have kicked in until after we had the results of the day-three testing if we were happy with the results.”
“Not being able to train is not a punishment, that was a requirement anyway for the first three days,” he said. “Looking at Day 3 test results and CCTV footage, we will have to make a judgment on if or when they may be allowed to be exempt from the arrangement everyone else has to undertake, so they’re allowed to break off in bubbles and train. I take a dim view of what we’ve seen already and we’ll take it really seriously.
“There’s no evidence of interaction with people other than the squad, but the mingling amongst team members was not allowed, and it occurred,” he said.
