Mamata asks people to avoid public gathering, including sporting events

Kolkata: Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Friday urged people to avoid all public gatherings, including sporting events. Speaking at an event at Netaji Indoor Stadium, where she was supposed to give away the Khel Samman Awards, Banerjee asked authorities to wind up the event at the earliest and send the cheques of the beneficiary clubs keeping in mind the outbreak of novel Coronavirus.

She further added that the police will ensure that the cheques reach the recipient clubs within the next three days.

Thousands of people including representatives of local clubs gathered at the venue to attend the Khelashree programme in which sports personalities were facilitated and also to collect cheques of financial support that the state government awarded to 26,000 clubs for sporting activities and other development works. The stadium, which has a capacity of around 12,000 people, was filled to the brim.

The programme was organised by the state Youth Services and Sports department.

Soon after the prize distribution and felicitation, Banerjee addressed the gathering and said "it was not possible to cancel the programme at the last moment as a large section of people from different parts of the state had already set out to attend the same. But it will be completed at the earliest. The Centre has given advisory to take appropriate action to deal with Coronavirus and advised to ensure that no public gathering takes place in any sporting event."

Banerjee added that the advisory further mentioned that "sporting events cannot be avoided. It can be done without allowing the gathering of people including spectators."

Banerjee urged state Youth Services and Sports minister Aroop Biswas and Minister of State of the department Laxmi Ratan Shukla to take steps to stop distribution of cheques at the venue and help people return home after having snacks instead of standing in a queue to collect cheques.

"There is no need to stand in lines amidst the heavy crowd to collect cheques. The same will be sent to the individual clubs. Kolkata Police will execute the task in the city and the state police will do the same in other parts of the state," Banerjee said adding that police had earlier distributed cheques among Durga Puja organisers as well. So they can easily execute the task as they are well aware of the system.

Stating that medicines to cure the disease are yet to be discovered, Banerjee maintained: "Don't get panicked if you are suffering from cough and cold, instead take necessary precautionary measures. We have to follow the instructions at least for a month or so unless the situation gets normalised."