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Ricky Zililo, Senior Sports Reporter
THE Premier Soccer League ((PSL) medical committee has commended clubs for complying with Covid-19 protocols that will be strictly maintained when topflight football restarts tomorrow.

Zifa head of medical committee Dr Edward Chagonda, who is also chairman of the PSL medical committee, said regular testing of teams and strict compliance to Covid-19 has worked in the absence of a bio-bubble.

As the first-round of the Chibuku Super Cup matches kick-off tomorrow, all PSL clubs will have to produce PCR or rapid Covid-19 test certificates within a 48-hour window for all individuals that want entry to match venues.

Referees, match officials and journalists (broadcast and print) are not exempt as they too must present Covid-19 test certificates done to gain access to the venues.

Chagonda said the development is in line with the Covid-19 preventative measures, protocols and directives issued by the PSL, World Health Organisation (WHO) and local health authorities.

Clubs are funding their own tests and Chagonda says strict adherence will be enforced for as long as the protocols haven’t been amended.
In the build-up to tomorrow’s matches, Chagonda said members of the PSL medical committee supervised regular tests done by clubs in the presence of their doctors and Covid-19 compliance officers.

“As the medical committee, we’re happy with how the PSL clubs conducted their business in making sure that they build for a safe return of the game. Periodic Covid-19 tests, which are part of the standard operating procedures (SOPs) designed to combat the spread of the coronavirus in football have worked well as no incidents were recorded during the time that clubs started training.

“Because of how the clubs conducted themselves, abiding by protocols, that is why you are seeing the games resuming on Saturday. Ideally, we would have had a bio-bubble scenario, but a compromise was reached and quality wasn’t compromised so there’s not much of a difference. The other thing which has been kind to us is the low prevalence,” said Chagonda.

He said match commissioners have been apprised on the SOPs to follow on matchday.

Besides admittance to the facility by producing a Covid-19 test certificate, compliance officers will check body temperatures and symptoms at the gate. – @ZililoR