PORT OF SPAIN: The Caribbean Premier League (CPL) says its players, officials and administrators have arrived in Trinidad and Tobago and that 162 people who travelled into the region have tested negative for novel coronavirus (Covid-19).

The CPL said the teams will now be kept in quarantine in the official hotel for 14 days and undergo regular testing. If anyone from in the group is found to have contracted the Covid-19 they will be removed from the hotel and placed in further isolation.

“It has been a colossal effort by all involved to get everyone safely into Trinidad and Tobago,” tournament operations director Michael Hall said in a statement. “Our main priority is the health and well-being of all those involved in CPL and the wider population in the host country, to have got through this first step without any cases is encouraging news, but we will remain vigilant.”

Players, coaches and support staff have travelled to the Caribbean from all parts of the cricket world. The West Indies lost their three-Test series in England last month, the first international cricket to be played after the sport was shuttered globally. The Caribbean players had to spend time in quarantine in Britain before the series started, and had to remain inside so-called bio-secure bubbles at match venues.

The Twenty20 tournament begins from Aug 18, and 33 games will be played at two venues in Trinidad. The first match has last years runners-up Guyana Amazon Warriors playing Trinbago Knight Riders. The final will take place on Sept 10.

Barbados Tridents are the defending champions. The other teams are St Kitts & Nevis Patriots, St Lucia Zouks and Jamaica Tallawahs.

Published in Dawn, August 9th, 2020