“We stress that this is a measure to protect the ongoing wellbeing of the England Test squad”
England will limit their public engagements on the tour of Sri Lanka due to the ongoing coronavirus outbreak, the ECB has announced.
Players will avoid interacting with fans through selfies and autographs and, as Joe Root revealed last week, players and staff have been instructed to bump fists rather than shake hands. There will be no handshakes with the opposition either.
“Due to the ongoing situation regarding the current coronavirus outbreak around the world, the England men’s Test team, currently touring Sri Lanka, kindly requests all supporters joining the tour to maintain good levels of hygiene as advised by the World Health Organisation and the NHS, to avoid possible infection and spreading,” read a statement from the ECB.
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“Following the world health agency’s advice, and in order to protect the players and, in turn, the integrity and continuation of the Sri Lanka Test tour, the team has put in place several precautions, leading to a number of normal activities being cancelled for the foreseeable future.
“As a result, the touring party is now taking positive steps to reduce the risk of its health by limiting public engagements for its players and management team.”
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Regarding the temporary ban on selfies and autographs, the ECB statement added: “Whilst we acknowledge that this will be disappointing for some supporters, we stress that this is a measure to protect the ongoing wellbeing of the England Test squad and is a decision which has not been taken lightly.”
