Positive cases false alarm

Bath Rugby have revealed the full extent to the ‘false alarm’ caused by faulty Covid testing which caused them to shut down the club’s Farleigh House training ground.

Following the weekly PCR testing last Monday, the day after the club were notified that 19 of the 24 league-wide positive results comprised Bath Rugby players and staff, the club immediately shut down the training ground and all players and staff were instructed to isolate at their homes.

A rigorous contact tracing process was undertaken, from which a further 16 players were identified as close contacts. Everyone who returned a positive test result, and their close contacts, were required to isolate for ten days in accordance with PHE guidance, ruling 25 members of the Bath Rugby organisation unavailable.

Farleigh House underwent a full deep clean and all rugby and training activity was halted and additional testing ordered for all players and staff as a priority.

Last Wednesday afternoon the club were informed that an error had occurred in the Randox laboratory and that following routine retesting, 18 of the original 19 positive results were in fact negative, meaning the club have just one of the two positive tests which have been discovered across the entire Gallagher Premiership in the latest round of testing, which saw 989 players and management from the 12 clubs tested.

After extensive conversations with Public Health England officials, Bath Rugby are now confident this was a discrete error and that the revised test results are correct.

However, as an additional measure alongside the Randox testing programme, independent Public Health testing was also undertaken for Bath Rugby players and staff.

Bath Rugby’s chief executive, Tarquin Mcdonald said: “The health and safety of our people, the community and wider public remains the key focus for us all.

“We have worked closely with Public Health England who are clear that this was a specific instance of human error by Randox and not a wider outbreak.

“It is a huge and welcome relief to understand that this was a false alarm. However, this has caused huge disruption to our players, staff and to our training environment during an important two week break from games.

“Everyone at the club and their families have been outstanding throughout, and we are now focussed on a return to training next week and preparation for our game against Bristol.”

Farleigh House reopened this week, with full contact training resuming only on Tuesday when both the independent Public Health England test results and a further round of testing from Randox had been completed.

The derby fixture against Bristol Bears in Round Seven of the Gallagher Premiership at Ashton Gate tomorrow, January 29, will go ahead as planned.