The Western Province Cricket Association have suspended club cricket-related activities for the remainder of the year.
Earlier this month, the WPCA revealed the truncated 2020-21 club cricket season will start on 16 January.
They had also allowed for non-league fixtures and practices during December, but that has since been revoked.
“The Western Province Cricket Association cricket committee took an informed decision to suspend all cricket-related activities within the WPCA jurisdiction, effective Monday, 14 December to Thursday, 31 December 2020,” read a statement from WPCA coaching manager Charles Clacher.
“This is due to the rapid increase of active Covid-19 infections, deaths in the city of Cape Town and with hospitalisations on the increase.
“This drastic action over the next three weeks is required to safeguard the planned January to April 2021 cricket season and to provide the WPCA an opportunity to assist in curbing the spread.
“The more we do now, the more time we will have to effectively prepare ourselves and our cricket operational systems – and the more lives we will be able to save.
“This decision was not taken lightly and was also influenced by Western Cape provincial disaster management centre guidelines, envisaged mini-lockdowns by the Western Cape provincial government and the increase of Covid-19 positive incidents reported to the WPCA.
“These occurred at affiliated clubs who participated in friendly fixtures, resulting in these clubs having to shut down and cease all cricket-related activities – and in addition officially notify all members who partook in these activities to undergo Covid-19 testing.
“This decision is also fully supported by the City of Cape Town‘s recreation and parks department, community services and health directorate, under whose auspices the municipal facilities resort.
“This temporary suspension of all cricket-related activities affects all amateur- and youth-related activities (cricket clubs, schools, private academies) within the jurisdiction of the WPCA.
“The WPCA would like to take this opportunity to say thank you to all its affiliated members who have taken the Covid-19 restrictions seriously and who have abided by and effectively implemented the WPCA policy directive: return to train/play – policy guidelines for amateur cricket under alert level one lockdown, dated 7 October 2020 – and have helped us assist in curbing the spread.
“We understand that this is hard. We have never faced a situation of this nature in cricket before. Every affiliated member has played a very important role in ensuring that we are able to reduce the number of infections, protect vulnerable groups and ultimately to save lives.”
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