File image of Parupalli Kashyap
Indian shuttler Parupalli Kashyap on Thursday sent an SOS to the Indian Health Ministry from England where a number of other badminton stars are present for the ongoing All England badminton championships.
The government on Wednesday suspended all visas, barring a few categories like diplomatic and employment, in an attempt to prevent the spread of coronavirus as cases across India rose to more than 60.
"Sir @drharshvardhan we are in Birmingham for a tournament and we are not sure about our situation considering the health advisory issued yesterday. Can we please speak to you urgently? @NSaina @srikidambi @pranaav6 @sikkireddy @bwfmedia @YonexAllEngland," tweeted Kashyap.
The outbreak, declared a pandemic by the World Health Organisation (WHO) on Wednesday, has led to more than 4,000 deaths globally.
Earlier, the shooting World Cup and the Indian Open golf tournament were postponed while badminton's India Open will be played without any spectators.
Teenage Lakhsya Sen, who made his debut appearance on Wednesday, defeated World No. 18 Lee Cheuk Yiu of Chinese Taipei to cruise into the second round. He won 7-21, 21-8, 21-17. Star shuttler PV Sindhu too made it to the second round. However, Saina Nehwal, Sai Praneeth and Kidambi Srikanth made their first-round exit.
