Hundred: Players and staff told to avoid shops, pubs in order to curb spread of Covid-19

London [UK], July 17 : Players and staff associated with the inaugural edition of the Hundred have been asked to avoid pubs and restaurants in order to curb the spread of Covid-19.
The UK will be relaxing its remaining Covid-19 restrictions on July 19, two days prior to the start of the Hundred, reported ESPNcricinfo.
A Covid-19 compliance officer has also been appointed for each team in the Hundred to lessen the risk of whole squads being asked to self-isolate if someone from their team ends up testing positive for Covid-19.
Recently, England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) received flak for giving relaxation in the bio-bubble. Three England cricketers and four-member of their support staff tested positive for Covid-19.
India wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant and support staff member Dayanand Garani have also tested positive for Covid-19 in the UK.
Tom Harrison, the chief executive of the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) on Thursday had said that the board decided to give relaxations in the bio-bubble looking at players' welfare and their mental health.
"We want people feeling good about going out and playing in whatever tournament they're playing in, whether that's the Hundred, whether that's a Test series against India, whether that is county cricket and the RL50. We want people to be feeling like their life is delivering for them, both at home and as professional cricketers, men and women. We don't want to be closeting players in such a place where they feel like the only role they play in their life is to go out and bat and bowl for whatever team they're playing," ESPNcricinfo quoted Harrison as saying.
"I think that's a bad place for us to be. We have to be understanding about what it is to be a responsible employer, to be able to get the best back from players. That's by treating them like adults, and talking and communicating openly about how we best mitigate the impacts of this ongoing pandemic," he added.