The Novel Coronavirus Response and Coordination Centre has announced that it has decided to suspend a new measure which would have required players and performers in all local sports contests to be tested for COVID-19 every seven days, after considering the difficulties the relevant government entities would face in implementing the measure.
The centre made the announcement in a statement in the early hours of Saturday, which came after the Sports Bureau (ID) and the Education and Youth Affairs Bureau (DSEJ) respectively announced on Friday that all local sports competitions and inter-school sports contests had been suspended as they would need time to prepare for the implementation of the new COVID-19 testing measure.
After the centre’s announcement that it has decided to suspend the COVID-19 testing measure, the two bureaus respectively announced on Saturday that they had resumed local sports contests and inter-school sports competitions with immediate effect.
The centre’s statement said that the Health Bureau (SSM) had amended its guidelines on the management of collective festive events and recreational and sports activities on November 4, after considering the worsening COVID-19 pandemic and the fact that many COVID-19 outbreaks elsewhere have been caused by performance events and sports competitions. According to the now-suspended amended version of the guidelines, all players and performers in local sports contests would have been tested for COVID-19 every seven days.
