Bangladesh suspends all sports indefinitely amid coronavirus outbreak

The government has suspended all sorts of sporting events in an effort to halt the spread of the novel coronavirus.

State Minister for Youth and Sports Zahid Ahsan Russel made the announcement in a statement on Saturday.

“Sports at all levels cause public gatherings… we have to maintain maximum caution now, we have to remain vigilant. People must be made aware about avoiding gatherings,” he said.

“So all sorts of sports will stay suspended until things return to normal in the country,” the state minister added.

This announcement is an extension of the ministry’s previous notice which had suspended sporting events until Mar 31.

More than 1.1 million people have been reported infected across the world, more than 60,000 among them dead, according to a tally by the Johns Hopkins University.

In Bangladesh, the number of infected people has surged to 70, among them eight are dead, according to data released by the Health Directorate on Saturday.

Global sports have come to a standstill due to the coronavirus, with events like the Tokyo Olympics, slated for this year, postponed to 2021, the first such delay in the Games' 124-year modern history.

The sports ministry previously told the Health Directorate and other related authorities that they can use all stadiums, the indoor ones and gymnasiums as isolation centres or makeshift hospitals if needed.