Athletes asked to bring own water, Aarogya Setu app must for entry as Noida stadium reopens

The Noida Stadium has reopened for athletes and the public with curtailed timings on Wednesday after staying closed for more than four months due to the COVID-19 outbreak, officials said. A slew of guidelines have been issued which include mandatory installation of the Aarogya Setu app on mobile phones of visitors seeking entry into the stadium, among others.

Located in Sector 21 of the city, the stadium is managed by the Noida Authority, which had ordered its closure on March 15 in view of the COVID-19 outbreak. The stadium shall open from 5 am to 9 am and 4 pm to 8 pm. Aarogya Setu app must be installed in the phones of the visitors, stadium members and athletes, stated the guidelines issued by the Noida Authority.

All visitors, members and athletes must ensure that social distancing norms are followed at all times and that they all have face masks or covers, it stated. The guidelines stated that athletes must bring their own sporting equipment for games like cricket, badminton, squash, tennis, golf and also carry items like sanitiser and drinking water to the stadium. However, the guidelines did not mention entry rules for any visitor without a smartphone or a phone.

Aarogya Setu is a mobile application developed by the central government to connect essential health services with the people over the fight against COVID-19. The app is aimed at augmenting the initiatives of the Centre, particularly the Department of Health, in proactively reaching out to and informing the users of the app regarding risks, best practices and relevant advisories pertaining to the containment of COVID-19.