The New Zealand men's cricket team, including the supporting staff, has gone into self-isolation for a mandatory 14-day period following their early return from Australia in the wake of novel coronavirus fear.
Confirming the news, the New Zealand Cricket (NZC) said that all the 15 players as well supporting staff who had returned from Sydney last weekend have been locked down at home following the directives of their Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern.
"They (Black Caps players and touring staff) have all gone into self-isolation."We've passed on all the details about what self-isolation means and as far as we know they're all following it strictly," Stuff.co.nz quoted NZC public affairs manager Richard Boock as saying.
"It's only advice and we can't instruct them what to do. All we can do is give them the best advice and latest information and contacts in the areas where they're going.Right now it's a holding pattern for us and we're keeping the players informed. We're working closely with the CPA [Cricket Players' Association] who've been fantastic. It's one of those times where you all pull together," he added.
Earlier, Australia's remaining two One-Day Internationals (ODIs) of the three-match series and the subsequent three T20Is against New Zealand were postponed till further notice in the wake of coronavirus outbreak.
The first ODI of the series between the two sides was played in front of empty stands at the Sydney Cricket Ground where Australia went on to win by 71 runs.
The move to bring back the New Zealand team from Sydney midway between the series came after their government tightened border restrictions last week by enforcing a mandatory 14-day self-isolation period for all those entering the country from Australia.
Just like New Zealand, the South African players have also been put under self-isolation following their return from India after the cancellation of the three-match ODI series between the two sides.
Earlier, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the coronavirus outbreak as a 'pandemic', prompting the governments worldwide to take extraordinary measures to contain the spread of the deadly virus.
The virus outbreak, which was first reported in December 2019 from Wuhan city of China, has so far claimed the lives of more than 8,000 people and has affected more than 2,00,000 persons globally.
