6 positive virus tests at EPL clubs
THE English Premier League said yesterday that six people from three different clubs had tested positive for COVID-19 out of a sample of 748 individuals.
The novel coronavirus tests were taken on Sunday and Monday ahead of the return to small group training.
“Players or club staff who have tested positive will now self-isolate for a period of seven days,” the league said in a statement.
“The Premier League is providing this aggregated information for the purposes of competition integrity and transparency.
“No specific details as to clubs or individuals will be provided by the League and results will be made public in this way after each round of testing.”
On Monday, the EPL voted to allow clubs to begin small group, non-contact training with some clubs returning on Tuesday.
The league will decide early next week when to allow contact training as it looks for a June restart to the season which was halted on March 13.
However, Watford captain Troy Deeney has said he will not resume training this week out of concern for his son’s health during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Deeney, 31, said last week that he would not put his family at risk.
“We’re due back in this week. I’ve said I’m not going in,” he told a podcast with boxing promoter Eddie Hearn and former WBC cruiserweight champion Tony Bellew.
“My son is five months and he’s had breathing difficulties. I don’t want to come home to put him in more danger. You’ve got to drive in in your own kit, you can’t have showers, then you’ve got to drive back home in the same dirty kit you’ve got.”
Britain’s statistics office said this month that black men are 4.2 times more likely to die from COVID-19-related causes than white males.
About a third of EPL players are from a Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) background.
“While we are getting tested and while we are going to be in a very safe environment, it only takes one person to get infected within the group. I don’t want to be bringing that home,” said Deeney.
On Saturday, Germany’s top-flight became the first major European league to return to action.
The Bundesliga returned 10 positives out of 1,700 tests, on May 4, ahead of its return to training.
(Reuters)