Mushtaq Ali Trophy: Players in coronavirus-hit hotel in Chennai safe, says TNCA official

Chennai:  Around 20 staff members of a hotel in Chennai where players of three teams taking part in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy are staying have tested positive but Tamil Nadu Cricket Association on Monday said that the cricketers were safe and there was nothing to panic. Three teams scheduled to take part in the Plate group – Meghalaya, Manipur and Mizoram – are being put up at the hotel. “There is nothing to panic. The players and the others involved in the tournament staying at Leela Palace are safe. They are staying in a bio-secure environment,” a TNCA official told PTI. An official of one of the teams said the staff members were outside the bio-bubble and not in contact with the players. “It is true that some of the staff tested positive for coronavirus, but they are outside the bio-bubble. The players are fine.” One of the players staying at the hotel said they have remained confined to their rooms. “So far things are fine. We have been tested and we are confined to our rooms,” the player said. The Plate group matches of the Mushtaq Ali Trophy are scheduled to begin at various venues in Chennai from 11 January. Leela Palace is the second star hotel in Chennai where staff members have tested positive for COVID-19 after ITC Grand Chola which emerged as a hot spot with over 80 people testing positive.