This archive report was first published on 11 July 2020.
As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to spread, India's cricket stadium in Kolkata is being repurposed to serve as a quarantine facility for police personnel.
With the city's hospitals under growing pressure, the 80,000 capacity stadium, which hosted the 1987 World Cup final, will be set up with hundreds of beds in its galleries.
According to Cricket Association of Bengal president Avishek Dalmiya, the quarantine facility will be used to support the administration in this hour of crisis, and the beds will be thoroughly segregated as a safety measure.
"It is our duty to help and support the administration in this hour of crisis. The quarantine facility will be used for police personnel who are COVID-19 warriors," said Dalmiya.
The stadium, which is also used by the Kolkata Knight Riders Indian Premier League side, has been repeatedly postponed due to the pandemic.
India's nationwide coronavirus toll rose to 820,916 cases with 22,193 deaths as of Saturday.
