All players and others planning to travel to the UAE to attend the second leg of the IPL 2021 in September will have to follow certain health and safety protocols defined by the BCCI. To begin with, every traveller to the event must have an RT-PCR test done 72 hours before they depart for the UAE. They will be allowed to travel only if the test is negative.
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Rules for Individuals Already in Bio-Bubbles
Individuals already in bio-secure bubbles, including support staff, players and broadcast crew, including commentators, will be allowed to travel directly to the UAE. Such individuals will be excluded from the quarantine requirements if they satisfy certain criteria. They must remain in the bio-secure bubbles after their current series has ended and travel directly in a team bus to the airport and enjoy exemptions from immigration or other formalities. They must travel by an exclusively chartered aircraft to Dubai where they must be picked up by team buses from the tarmac and transported to the team hotels to avoid contact with anybody outside the bubble. Each such traveller must also undergo an RTR-PCR test when they arrive. The BCCI will allow them to join the respective squads only if they return a negative test.
Rules for Those not in Bio-Bubbles
Those participants who are not already in bio-bubbles will need to satisfy the six-day quarantine requirement after their arrival in Dubai and will have to submit to 3 RT-PCR tests before they can train or take part in matches. The results of all three tests should be negative. Players will be allowed to travel to the UAE even if they are not fully vaccinated. Regardless of whether they are vaccinated, they will have to adhere to the protocol including testing and quarantine requirements.
Testing Requirements during the IPL
All individuals within the bio-bubble in the UAE will have to submit 2 tests a week in the competition’s second week. Thereafter, they must submit tests every five days over the tournament’s duration. Any individual testing positive for COVID-19 will be isolated for at least 10 days. Such an individual will have to submit tests on days nine and 10. They can re-enter the bubble if they return two negative RT-PCR tests done with a gap of 24 hours between them, provided they do not show any symptoms or need to take any medication for over 24 hours.
Fourteen Bio-Bubbles Planned at IPL Venue
The BCCI will create eight bio-bubbles for the eight franchises, three bubbles for officials and three for broadcast crews including commentators.