The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced that it will let players decide whether they want to take COVID-19 vaccines, after the central government opened up the vaccination process for every citizen above the age of 18 from May 1.
According to ANI, BCCI sources said players in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) are free to make a personal decision. "The Indian players can get vaccinated from Saturday. It is a call that is left on players," a source said.
While India is in the midst of a ravaging second wave of the coronavirus pandemic, cricketers and coaches from Australia, England, South Africa, and the West Indies are in the country for the ongoing edition of the IPL.
"Only the Indian players can get vaccinated here," the agency reported a source as saying, when asked if an exception could be made for international players.
The Prime Minister's Office (PMO) announced last week that the PM CARES Fund has granted in-principle approval for the allocation of funds for the installation of 551 dedicated Pressure Swing Adsorption (PSA) Medical Oxygen Generation Plants within public health facilities across the country, in line with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's directive to increase oxygen availability in hospitals.
Meanwhile, Australian cricketers Pat Cummins and Brett Lee and Indian batsman Sheldon Jackson have made donations to help purchase oxygen supplies and aid India in its fight against Covid-19.
Deccan Herald is on WhatsApp Channels| Join now for Breaking News & Editor's Picks