If I was still playing, I’d back Project Restart safe in the knowledge clubs will ensure testing is BETTER than ever
oxygen levels or heart rate in a specific task, for instance, there will be medical examinations and an immediate Covid-19 test.
Why is that important? Well, a recent study from frontline doctors in the United States suggests that if virus is caught early, then the outcome is always much better.
And how do they detect it earlier, even when there are no symptoms? By checking oxygen saturation levels in the blood. Their study found that when people arrived at hospital with symptoms, it was often too late, with low oxygen levels that were life-threatening.
When they detected lowering oxygen levels early, though, it was much easier to treat patients, without having to resort to using ventilators.
And footballers will be able to have their levels checked throughout the day.
They are young and fit too, so not in the highly dangerous over-75 category.
And when people speak about the risk of having vulnerable family members at home, again, the testing programme could help.
If they are checked and there are signs of the virus, then they can isolate, away from those family members. Straight away.
If a footballer caught Covid-19 outside that bubble, then it may be days before they knew they had it, if all.
And that’s a much greater risk to family.
There will be incredible precautions too.
Isolation from the wider public, as footballers tend to do anyway. Extreme safety measures taken at work as well, such as deep cleans, protective equipment and strategic plans.
Of course, there is the argument that playing with all this testing and personal protective equipment takes away resources from the NHS. To me, that is just going back to taking pot-shots at football for the sake of it, like when players were singled out for not taking pay cuts, even as billionaires in tax havens were pocketing taxpayers’ cash. Where is the Premier League getting these tests from – out of hospital stockrooms? No, they are available to buy and our Government can buy them. They just haven’t done a very good job of doing that. In fact, they’ve been rubbish. But there is no global shortage. If the Premier League said, “OK, we won’t play so we don’t use testing kits”, not one extra test would go to the UK public. It’s a spurious, nonsensical argument and it is made by people who should be aiming their anger at the Government, not footballers. In fact, footballers have been leading the way among “celebrities” in donating to help the NHS. If it’s still a problem, aim your complaints at the Government. God knows, they deserve it for the failure to support NHS staff and careworkers in the early days of this crisis. Look at the facts. To finish the season, they will need around 40,000 tests – fewer than a quarter of the daily number of tests the Government say they will be doing by June. So, if the Premier League donated those tests, it’s six hours’ worth. Even better, how about the Premier League donate 40,000 tests, to go with the millions of pounds given to the NHS? Or 100,000 tests? In the end, you can find problems with everything. But if I were still a footballer, I’d want to play. For many reasons, but in part because I feel I would be doing something for the people of this country. Doing my duty, in a sense.