England vs India: The difference between a COVID-19 ‘bio-secure bubble’ and a ‘controlled bubble’

India’s Coach Ravi Shastri has tested positive for COVID-19 and has been isolated from the team along with support staff.

Shastri, who has been overseeing the five-Test series against England in the UK, has been staying in a ‘controlled bubble’ along with the players, which is different from a ‘bio-secure bubble’.

Bio-secure is an environment which is cut off from the outside world. Everyone engaged in the tournament including the players, support staff and match officials are limited only to a few places. The point is to minimise the risk of contracting infection through limited contact from the outside world. Most importantly in the bio-secure bubble, players are not allowed to have access to families, visitors and relatives for the duration of the tournament. Anyone and everyone can’t even pay a visit to their family or friends from the outside world.

A controlled bubble is where the players are allowed to have access to places only if everyone around is fully vaccinated. This is the new norm followed in England where players are not put in a bio-secure bubble and can meet people from outside as long as they are vaccinated.

A vaccination does not guarantee that you can’t catch COVID and depends on a person’s immunity and — unfortunately in case of Shastri — he did catch the virus and now has been isolated from the team. We at Gulf News wish him a speedy recovery.