Johannesburg- The rise in Covid-19 numbers in the country is once again threatening sport.
The spike in numbers released by the Department of Health is a cause for concern for authorities as sports events are getting cancelled or postponed at an alarming rate.
The PSL could suspend all remaining fixtures for the year when PSL chairperson Irvin Khoza addresses the media in a much-anticipated press conference tomorrow.
Efforts to get a confirmation were not successful.
On Friday, the South African Football Association (Safa) medical department moved and ordered that one of the organisation’s most crucial meetings on their calendar be cancelled due to the fourth wave.
Said Safa’s head of medicine Dr Thulani Ngwenya: “From the 16 congress members’ results I have received thus far, six members are positive, which means 38% thus far is infected.
“The above statistics don’t look good at all, and looking at the congress demographics, one is very concerned about the risk that the meeting might pose to the vulnerable members of congress.
“My advice and recommendation for Safa were to postpone the congress as previously advised on suspension of mass gatherings and then review the situation in January, hoping that the situation regarding the fourth wave would be better.
“There are still more lessons to be learned about this new variant, however, the current statistics in South Africa, in particular Johannesburg, are not good at all. As of December 9, we have had exponential growth and reached 22 391 new cases and a positivity rate of 29,8%, which is very sharp and rapid given that three weeks ago we were at a positivity rate of less than 1%.”
The Omicron variant is wreaking havoc and on Friday the Department of Health revealed that the number of daily new cases had exceeded the 20 000 mark.
Canada, Japan, the US, India and Australia have placed travel restrictions on SA and other SADC countries. This has scuppered sporting tournaments.
Chiefs missed their last two fixtures after 31 staff members tested positive for Covid-19. Amakhosi wrote to the league requesting all their December fixtures be postponed, which was denied.
While their opponents Cape Town City and Golden Arrows honoured their fixtures, Chiefs did not show up. This has thrown the spanner in the works for DStv Premiership bosses.
The matter is still hanging as Chiefs have still not been charged for failing to honour the two league matches.
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