Six test positive for Coronavirus at 3 Premier League clubs as training resumes

Premier League, on Tuesday, announced that six staff members across three different clubs had tested positive for coronavirus, even as the clubs started training as per the guidelines this week. No specifications regarding the number of cases at a particular club, or whether it was a player who had contracted the virus or a staff member was disclosed. 

READ: Pep Guardiola Flies Back To England As Premier League Clubs Look To Resume Training

Mass coronavirus testing of players

This is the first wave of mass coronavirus testing of players and staff and the next set of results is set to be released on Thursday. A total of 748 people were tested, but the identity of the infected people were not revealed by the authorities. 

“The Premier League is providing this aggregated information for the purposes of competition integrity and transparency,” the league said in a statement. 

READ: Raheem Sterling Concerned About Players' Fitness As Premier League Aims At Mid-June Return

One of the 20 clubs in the league started conducting tests on Tuesday. The results of those tests will be included in the figures from the second wave of checks being published on Saturday. The competition has been suspended since March due to the pandemic. A relaxation of national lockdown regulations has allowed non-contact training to resume, with a maximum of five players training together for up to 75 minutes a day at training facilities.

Premier League managers like Pep Guardiola, Nigel Pearson, Graham Potter and Frank Lampard are not yet convinced that it is the right time for the Premier League to resume. Pep Guardiola and Frank Lampard have reportedly expressed concerns about their players' safety as they feel that the Premier League return is being scheduled too close for comfort. Jose Mourinho, on the other hand, reportedly said that the likes of Pep Guardiola and Frank Lampard should "stay home and watch Bundesliga" if they are skeptical of Project Restart. 

READ: Player Divide Threatens Premier League's Restart Plan

Earlier this month, the League Manager Association (LMA) stated that if clubs do not agree to play the remaining matches at neutral venues, then the 2019/20 season of the Premier League is likely to be cancelled. LMA Chief Executive Richard Bevan, in an interview with a media house stated that there isn't enough time to return to playing and completing the current season. 

Watford captain Troy Deeney has been vocal against returning to the pitch so soon. Although the Premier League has agreed to fund regular testing for players and staff, there is no guarantee of keeping the virus at bay while vaccine trials remain in the early stages. Adding to Deeney's concern, black and ethnic minorities are statistically more at risk of dying from the virus, leaving him adamant he will not gamble with his family's life just to satisfy the desire for football to resume.

READ: Ronaldo Reports To Juventus For Tests After 10-week Absence

"I'm not even talking about football at the moment. I'm talking about my family's health," Deeney said on Instagram. "I'm not going to put my family at risk. What are they going to do, take money off me? I've been broke before so it doesn't bother me. They're talking about not playing in front of fans until 2021. So if it's not safe enough for fans to be inside a stadium, why should it be safe for players to be in there?" 

(Image credit: AP)