At first glance, India seems like a coronavirus success story, with its relatively low number of cases compared with the rest of the world. But a closer look reveals a grim reality: It’s likely only months away from a major health crisis.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government was quick to recommend residents avoid or postpone mass gatherings until the virus is contained. The Ministry of External Affairs postponed the Indian cricket league and state authorities are shutting schools, gyms and swimming pools in the worst-hit regions.
Corona virus impact: IPL to be cancelled amid lockdown
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) had earlier postponed the tournament from March 29 to April 15. Though there are only few days left, no Governing Council meeting has been held, reports the Hindustan Times. Two IPL teams spoke to the daily and expressed the possibility that the event may be cancelled for this year.
According to reports, the BCCI will officially call off the tournament after the Indian government announces the next set of travel and visa restrictions. The Australian government has already given a ‘no travel’ order to all its citizens. So participation of Australian players in the tournament seems highly unlikely, reports the daily.
India are supposed to play Sri Lanka from the fourth week of June for a three-ODI and three-T20 series, while other countries such as West Indies, Sri Lanka, England and South Africa all have international series coming up in June.
Historical changes: Global Events cancelled
Wimbledon cancelled is like a “Kick in the Gut”
The oldest Grand Slam tennis tournament and a cultural institution in Britain, will not be held in 2020, becoming the latest major sporting event disrupted by the coronavirus outbreak.
The cancellation, announced on Wednesday, was the first in 75 years for Wimbledon, which was founded in 1877 and had previously been called off only during World War I and World War II. But the pandemic caused the tournament’s leadership to cancel this year’s edition, which was scheduled from June 29 to July 12. The decision also led to the suspension of the preliminary grass-court season, halting all men’s and women’s tour events until July 13.
“At present, there are just no easy options; the way ahead is hard,” said Boris Johnson, the British prime minister, who tested positive for the novel coronavirus last week.
-
- The 2020 Glastonbury Festival is the latest in a long list of events that have been cancelled because of coronavirus.
- Professional football in England and Scotland has already been suspended and all horse racing in Great Britain will stop soon.
- “Serie A has not had a season cancelled since World War II
- Many events around the world, including the Euro 2020 finals, have also been postponed or cancelled. “Euro 2020 postponed for a year by UEFA because of coronavirus crisis”
- TheCOVID-19 pandemic has impacted many global sporting events, including the biggest of them all, the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, which has been delayed by over a year. “The 2020 Tokyo Olympics will be postponed, likely to 2021”
These are just some of the headlines we have seen over the last few weeks. Initially, it appeared likely that sporting events would be played behind closed doors, but the situation escalated quickly and most sports have been postponed. We are now in uncharted territory.
Europe’s top five football leagues alone account for a combined stadium capacity of 3.7 million fans. Add in other major sports fans from cricket, tennis, basketball and you have a global dormant audience waiting to have new moments to celebrate.
A state of desperation is hovering around Sports Fans. They are mourning the loss of sport by sharing their disappointment on social media.
Fashion on Lockdown
As governments tighten their efforts to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus pandemic, fashion brands and retailers are scrambling to manage the fallout. Runway shows and events planned in Asia where the virus first hit was cancelled or postponed early on, but as the disease continues to spread globally, the impact is likely to be much longer and deeper than many had initially expected. France, Italy and Spain are among the countries that have imposed tight restrictions on their citizens’ movement and closed non-essential stores, even as stores in China have been gradually re-opening over the last few weeks.
Store Closures
- Adidas
- Allbirds
- Arcadia Group
- Chanel
- Everlane
- GapInc
- Glossier
- H&M Group
- C. Penney
- Kering
- Levi’s
- Lululemon
- Neiman Marcus
- Nike
- Nordstrom
All the above-mentioned Fashion Stores have been under lockdown since this pandemic, while their E-commerce remains in operation. Amidst all this, their employees will continue to receive their monthly salaries and benefits until all this ends.
Cancel flight ticket, or reschedule?
All domestic airlines, including government-owned Air India, have announced a waiver on re-booking charges in case a customer does not want to travel on the designated date. Wadia group-owned private carrier GoAir, which was earlier offering free cancellation, has said it will now allow people to only reschedule their flights for no charge.
Now all domestic airlines, including government-owned Air India, have announced a waiver on re-booking charges in case a flyer does not want to travel on the designated date.
There is a certain duty that we all need to follow for our own safety. “It starts with your hands,” “Please wash your hands frequently with soap and water or an alcohol-based solution.”Such frequent washing with soap and water, or preferably with an alcohol-based hand solution, kills viruses that may be on your hands. It is simple, but it is very important.
