The Premier League has confirmed one positive coronavirus case in the latest round of testing done in the top flight between Monday and Tuesday.
Football action finally returns in England on Wednesday as the team observes strict protocols to prevent a spike in the deadly virus against after Britain recorded over 30,000 deaths during the three months lockdown.
According to reports, the single case came from a total of 1,541 players, and staff from clubs tested in the ninth round. The league announced on Thursday that the person will now self-isolate for seven days. The identity of the person and the club was kept anonymous as done with all previous rounds of testing. The Premier League had a few days ago confirmed a single case in the seventh round of testing.
As part of the health guidelines, only people allowed inside the 55,000-capacity Etihad Stadium for Manchester City and Arsenal game were around 300 temperature-checked members of the media, club staff, and security. They all ensured strict safety measures, such as face masks and social distancing.
A minute silence was done for those who lost their lives to COVID-19 before every kickoff. Players’ shirts also carried a blue heart-shaped logo to pay tribute to the NHS.
We missed everyone; it’s weird – Guardiola
Speaking in a virtual press conference after the match, Man City manager Pep Guardiola described the situation as weird, saying, “we missed the people.”
The former Barcelona coach, who said playing without people is strange, noted that what is needed to be done had to be done by following government instructions, and all involved have to be careful.
“We cannot relax. We are tested twice a week, social distance with masks, and we do all we can to be protected.”
The League had announced six positive cases since the first batch of testing between May 17 and 18 from a sample size of 748. The highest return was four from 1,008 samples from round three held across May 25 and 26.
Meanwhile, in the second-tier Championship, as on Wednesday, eight people from six clubs have tested positive. The league resumes on Saturday as well.,
