RSPL clubs responding to COVID-19 threat

With the threat of the coronavirus becoming increasing real locally, Red Stripe Premier League (RSPL) clubs have implemented a COVID-19 safety protocol and have suspended training and most other activities.

Waterhouse manager, Kerry Ann Robinson, said the club has suspended training indefinitely and will have Dr Romayne Edwards, a consultant emergency medicine physician in the Accident & Emergency Unit of the University Hospital of the West Indies, make a presentation to the players and staff today.

Robinson said they will look at ways to keep the players engaged until the threat has subsided.

“We have suspended training. We didn’t have training yesterday (Thursday), but we have scheduled a session with the doctor as most people are panicking at this time. So Dr Edwards will be doing her presentation tomorrow and we are in the process of procuring sanitisers and cleaning equipment.

‘Take precautions’

“We have also asked them (players) to be extra cautious and not to panic, and Dr Edwards has been keeping us updated with any additional information, things to do and not to do, and it has been helping,” she said.

The JFF announced on Thursday that all competitions and football related activities have suspended with immediate effect until further notice. As a result, teams are expected to lose condition, if the league should restart in a few weeks. With that in mind, Waterhouse are putting together a plan to keep their players up to par until the league resumes.

“We want to keep our players fit, so between tonight (Friday) and tomorrow we will work out a structured plan going forward,” she said.

She added that the community is also in their thoughts during all of this. “At the moment, we don’t have any recorded case from the community but we are using our social media to spread the word and we are doing as best as possible to keep updated on what’s happening. So it is basically a watch and see for us,” she said.

Dunbeholden’s have also postponed training and instructed players and staff to stay home with their families until they have been advised otherwise.

“Football is just a game. It is not that serious. What is serious is your life and the lives of the people you love,” manager Paul Christie told The Gleaner.

“We (club) have made a concerted decision to suspend all sporting activities and advise each member of staff to just stay with their families. The entire system is crippled and this is more serious than a lot of people think. So as leaders and decision-makers we just have to make decisions that are in the best interest of the people around us. So take it serious because it will get worse before it gets better,” he predicted

He added that the Premier League Clubs Association will be having another meeting Wednesday, after which they will inform the clubs if it is safe to resume. “We have never dealt with any thing like this before. So we are in a wait and see mode and we have to take it day by day,” he said.