Eden Gardens opens up for Covid Warriors of Kolkata Police – Times Now

Kolkata’s iconic Eden Gardens is all set to join the Covid fight. Five blocks of the cricket stadium will be converted into a Covid quarantine facility for Kolkata Police personnel. With a steady and sharp rise of Covid cases in West Bengal, Kolkata Police requested Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) to urgently let the force use portions of the space below the gallery to quarantine policemen who have been infected by the virus.

A letter from Kolkata Police Commissioner Anuj Sharma was sent to CAB President Abhishek Dalmia followed by a meeting at Lal Bazaar, the Kolkata Police Headquarters on Friday afternoon. Kolkata Police and CAB also held a joint inspection of the space at Eden Gardens that would become a quarantine facility. The entire stadium is not going to be used to isolate infected Policemen yet. Space under galleries E, F, G, H & J will be used for the time being.

Earlier in March, former CAB president and present BCCI President, Sourav Ganguly had offered Eden Gardens to the West Bengal government for quarantining purpose. He had offered the indoor facility and the players’ dormitory but four months ago, the number of cases being reported was much lower in the state.

Meanwhile, Kolkata Police too has been facing tough challenges with additional forces on ground since the announcement of the nationwide lockdown and handling the worst natural calamity, Cyclone Amphan that battered the city and its adjoining districts. Kolkata Police sources say, at least 544 policemen have tested Covid positive so far while 411 have already recovered and 2 have succumbed to the virus.