Health dept issues SOPs for sports admission

LAHORE:The Punjab government has banned competitions of close-contact sports for taking admissions in educational institutions in Punjab in the wake of Covid-19 pandemic.

Primary & Secondary Healthcare Department (P&SHD), on recommendation of Technical Working Group on Covid-19 Prevention, granted permission to conduct trial competitions only for the candidates who apply for admission to educational institutes on close-contact sports quota subject to fulfillment to conditions, the candidate has sufficient track record and supporting certificates indicating proficiency in the said contact sport; the candidate is tested negative for Covid-19, 48 hours before the competition date.

The heads of educational institutions, who intend to process admissions on close contact sports quota basis, are required to ensure Covid-19 testing of candidates in coordination with the concerned District Health Authority, with minimum three days advance notice, and Chief Executive Officers of DHA concerned shall ensure provision of free testing camp 48 hours before such trials which shall test all such sportsmen free of cost and convey results before commencement of trial competitions. “All the instructions may be implemented under intimation to this office,” said P&SHD.

In a letter titled “Covid-19 testing of student candidates for admission in education institutions under contact sports quota” addressed to Secretary Schools Education Department, Secretary Higher Education Department, all Deputy Commissioners, all Chief Executive Officers of District Health Authorities DHAs in the Punjab, the P&SHD stated that close-contact sports like wrestling, judo, taekwondo, boxing, etc. are considered healthy activities which have national ownership at various levels like sports quota for admission in educational institutes (universities, colleges and schools). Under the current Covid-19 pandemic, competitions for such contact sports are not permissible. Various educational institutes have initiated new admissions for which sports quota is also allocated and they need to decide eligibility on the basis of trial competitions.

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