Hertha Berlin in quarantine, player tests positive for virus

An unnamed Hertha Berlin team player tested positive for the new coronavirus yesterday, prompting the club to place the team and staff in quarantine at home for 14 days.

The team was due to return to training after three days of individual exercise, but this was scrapped in a bid to contain the virus. The club did not say which player contracted COVID-19.

"The player complained about the usual symptoms and we immediately separated him from the group," Hertha doctor Uli Schleicher said in a statement. "A test then produced a positive result for the virus. All players in our squad must now stay at home for the next two weeks, which also rules out any individual training plans outside the home."

By Monday evening, 332 people were registered as positive in Berlin, which has closed pubs and clubs, schools and sporting facilities, playgrounds, theaters, operas and concert venues.

Also on Monday, the German soccer league said a meeting of the 36 clubs from its top two divisions agreed to an extended suspension of games through April 2.

"It was to be expected that the virus would reach the team sooner or later," Hertha general manager Michael Preetz said. "The most important thing now is that everyone sticks to the rules."

The vast majority of those who are infected recover from the new virus. According to the World Health Organization, people with mild illness recover in about two weeks, while those with more severe illness may take three to six weeks to recover.