COVID-19: Colombian football set for August restart

Bogota, June 18 (IANS) Colombian football is on track to restart in August, five months after being halted because of the coronavirus pandemic.Sports Minister Ernesto Luceno said a government-approved health protocol for a return to competition was sent to the Colombian Football Federation on Wednesday, reports Xinhua news agency."This is great news for the country," Luceno told reporters. "Football will recommence, but with stringent guidelines."Players will initially be limited to individual training, with group sessions to be permitted in early July.The first division is likely to resume in mid-August, "pending the epidemic curve," Luceno said.Colombia's top football division has been suspended since mid-March amid a nation-wide lockdown to curb the spread of the virus.The country's health ministry has reported 55,000 confirmed coronavirus cases and more than 1,800 deaths.
--IANS aak/bbh/