Shuttlers who are slated to participate at the Asian Tour in Bangkok, Thailand in January will need to arrive at Thailand’s capital by January 4 to undergo a mandatory 14-day quarantine, said the Badminton Association of Thailand (BAT).
For high risk COVID-19 countries, the players and officials will be required to arrive earlier and the BAT have made it mandatory for everyone involved to undergo several COVID-19 tests throughout their stay.
The Asian Tour comprises of the Yonex Thailand Open (January 12-17) and Toyota Thailand Open (January 19-24) before the 2020 World Tour Finals (January 27-31) caps the trilogy of events.
All visitors must provide a negative COVID-19 test results 72 hours prior to arriving in Bangkok, followed by the 14-day quarantine at the official hotel which is closed to the public.
“During the quarantine, athletes and entourage can practice and use the recreational activities in compliance with the given schedule. Athletes cannot go outside the ‘bubble’ during the quarantine period.
“Only athletes and entourage from the same country can go to the recreational area at an allocated time. BAT will provide free accommodation on a single room basis, breakfast, lunch and dinner for players only,” said BAT in a statement.
BAT are also set to provide a COVID-19 insurance policy of up to $10,000 (RM41,000) coverage to all players and team officials.
The Asian Tour is much awaited following the successful staging of the Denmark Open in October.
The Malaysian contingent as well as other top shuttlers like Kento Momota, P.V. Sindhu, Viktor Axelsen and Tai Tzu-ying are currently preparing for the January events.
