Four players at the Yonex Thailand Open 2021 were confirmed to be positive for Covid-19 in the third round of tests that were conducted on Monday 11 January, 2021.
The four players, including two from India, one from Germany and one from Egypt remain unnamed by BWF. The Badminton Association of India, however, has confirmed the two Indian players as Saina Nehwal and HS Prannoy.
BWF reportedly got the test results in the early morning hours today before the Yonex Thailand Open officially kicked off.
Only one Indian player remained positive when a retesting was done, while the other three players tested negative. The three players will be tested again today.
The Indian player (Saina Nehwal) who has tested positive will be in isolation for a minimum of 10 days in the hospital. She will also be tested again today.
Parupalli Kashyap, Nehwal’s husband, who shared the same hotel room with her is undergoing self-quarantine. Both their opponents in the Thailand Open have been awarded walkovers.
The entire Indian team has now been categorized as “high risk” by the Thai health authorities. All players and their entourage are undergoing self-quarantine in their respective rooms and will take PCR tests today.
Other Indian players are still allowed to continue competing at the Thailand Open, without any coaches or managers on court however.