Jaipur: Covid-19 prevention guidelines were blatantly violated as the number of spectators and local police who were quite large without the mask before the start of the first T20i between India and New Zealand on Wednesday, the first international cricket match in the country since the second wave of pandemic.
There are no crowd limits applied to the opening series but the audience is allowed to enter the Mansingh Sawai Stadium with evidence of vaccination or a negative RT-PCR test.
Although the Association of Cricket Rajasthan expects the game to be sold out, no more than half of the 25000 stadium capacity was filled with half an hour before the start of the match.
The fans who made ends outside the stadium were very excited about international cricket that returned to town after eight years but at least half of them did not care to wear a mask.
Many policemen who keep facilities also look without a mask.
“I came here with my child since I got a free pass.
Food items sold here are very expensive,” said a local resident of Anil Gupta inside the stadium.
Asked whether the vaccination status was examined when entering, he answered negatively.
He also doesn’t wear a mask.
A Mohit Shera student also wanders without facial protection.
“I am here as an international match is underway after a long time.
I played alone and it was interesting to watch the match,” Mohit said, who ran back to his chair when asked why he didn’t wear a mask.
This is for the first time in the middle of a pandemic that the crowd capacity has not been restricted.
The Indian-English test series earlier this year was played with a 50 percent stadium capacity before the surge in cases forced BCCI to hold the odi behind the closed door.