|| Desk Report ||

Kolkata’s iconic cricket stadium Eden Gardens will be used as a quarantine center for local police officials who have been infected with COVID-19 virus, officials said.

With the city’s hospitals under mounting pressure, hundreds of beds are to be set up in the 80,000 capacity stadium that was used for the 1987 World Cup final beside a huge number of international matches.

Nearly 550 Kolkata police have tested positive for the coronavirus and 411 made a recovery. A total of two casualties has been reported.

“It’s our duty to help and support the administration in this hour of crisis. The quarantine facility will be used for police personnel who are Covid-19 warriors,” Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) president Avishek Dalmiya said.

The beds will be put in galleries around the seating and not on the pitch that was last used by India for a trend-setting day-night Test against Bangladesh last November.

“Such areas would be thoroughly segregated as a safety measure,” Dalmiya added.

The stadium is also used by the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Team but this year’s tournament has repeatedly been postponed because of the coronavirus pandemic.