DUE to the worsening health situation caused by the second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic, Athletics South Africa (ASA) has taken the decision to suspend all athletics activities in the country for the next two weeks.

The decision affects the ASA Cross Country Trials which were scheduled for Potchefstroom this weekend, Saturday 23 January, which are now also postponed indefinitely. A new date will be determined and announced in due course.

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“The federation had hoped that resumption of our normal 2021 events calendar would by now been possible, but unfortunately we now have to deal with high infection rates in the country. The major concern is that the new Covid-19 strain seems to be more rampant than the initial one.

“ASA cannot ignore the dire situation that we find ourselves in as a nation highlighted by the worsening infection and increasing death rate. In the interest of saving lives, ASA is now suspending all athletics events for the next two weeks. ASA will review this decision after 7 February 2021 in line with government pronouncements and in continued consultation with medical experts and relevant government departments,” Athletics South Africa said in a statement.

Caxton Local Media Covid-19 reporting

Dear reader, As your local news provider, we have the duty of keeping you factually informed on Covid-19 developments. As you may have noticed, mis- and disinformation (also known as “fake news”) is circulating online. Caxton Local Media is determined to filter through the masses of information doing the rounds and to separate truth from untruth in order to keep you adequately informed. Local newsrooms follow a strict pre-publication fact-checking protocol. A national task team has been established to assist in bringing you credible news reports on Covid-19. Readers with any comments or queries may contact National Group Editor Irma Green ([email protected]) or Legal Adviser Helene Eloff ([email protected]). At the time of going to press, the contents of this feature mirrored South Africa’s lockdown regulations.

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