Eighth Covid case hits Pakistan cricketers in New Zealand

Published December 2, 2020
New Zealand government's health department said the team would not be allowed to train together until doctors were confident it would not lead to more coronavirus cases. – AFP/File
New Zealand government's health department said the team would not be allowed to train together until doctors were confident it would not lead to more coronavirus cases. – AFP/File

An eighth member of Pakistan's cricket squad has tested positive for Covid-19 as the team undergoes quarantine in Christchurch, New Zealand health authorities said Wednesday.

The health department said there was one new confirmed case among the squad and a further two members were being investigated, adding to the seven who previously tested positive over the past week.

The department said the team would not be allowed to train together until doctors were confident it would not lead to more coronavirus cases.

Director-general of health Ashley Bloomfield issued the team with a "final warning" last week for flouting social distancing protocols at their hotel.

No further breaches have been reported since.

Two of the original six cases last week were subsequently found to be historical, meaning they were not infectious, while the other four were active. A seventh member of the squad tested positive on Saturday.

The 53-member tour party, led by skipper Babar Azam, arrived in Christchurch on November 24 for two weeks of quarantine which is mandatory for all overseas arrivals in New Zealand.

All tested negative before leaving Lahore for the five-match tour, which is scheduled to begin with a Twenty20 international in Auckland on December 18.

New Zealand has largely eradicated community transmission of coronavirus recording just 1,704 cases and 25 deaths in a population of five million.

Opinion

Editorial

Madressah politics
Updated 11 Dec, 2024

Madressah politics

The curriculum taught must be free of hate and prejudice, while madressah students need to be taught life skills to later contribute to economy.
Targeting travellers
11 Dec, 2024

Targeting travellers

THE country’s top tax authority seems to have run out of good ideas. According to news reports, the Federal Board...
Grieving elephants
11 Dec, 2024

Grieving elephants

FOR most, the news will perhaps not even register. Another elephant has died in captivity in Pakistan. The death is...
Syria’s future
Updated 10 Dec, 2024

Syria’s future

Today, HTS — a ‘reformed’ radical outfit once associated with Al Qaeda — is in a position to be the leading power broker in Syria.
Rights in peril
10 Dec, 2024

Rights in peril

IN Pakistan’s fraught landscape of human rights infringements, misery hangs in the air. What makes this year’s...
Learning from AJK
10 Dec, 2024

Learning from AJK

THE recent events in Azad Kashmir are a powerful example of how dialogue can play a constructive role in effectively...