Championship: Two people at one club test positive in first coronavirus testing round
Written by News on 24/05/2020
Two people at one Championship club have tested positive following the first round of the league’s coronavirus testing.
The initial testing of Championship players, coaches and backroom staff took place on Thursday and Friday, with second-tier clubs due to resume training on Monday.
The English Football League [EFL] confirmed that 1014 players and club staff from all 24 Championship clubs were tested and reiterated the identity of the positive cases would not be provided.
“Those players or Club staff who have tested positive will now self-isolate in line with the guidelines provided by the EFL and only those who have tested negative will be permitted to enter training ground facilities,” read an EFL statement.
“The EFL will continue to make regular and relevant announcements as appropriate in respect of the testing programme to support competition integrity and transparency.”
The EFL outlined on Friday they would adopt a “flexible approach” in their finalised Return to Training Protocols (RTT), including the option for players to self-test for coronavirus.
Players and staff will be required to complete a daily medical questionnaire submitted before arrival at the training ground on training days, with access denied if this is not submitted before arrival.
The Premier League revealed two further positive cases from two different clubs on Saturday, including a Bournemouth player, after their second batch of testing.
A total of eight positive cases have so far been returned from 1,744 tests across the opening two rounds of mass testing in the top flight, which include players and club staff.
Leeds chief executive Angus Kinnear claimed it would be a “national embarrassment” if England’s top two divisions could not complete their seasons while major leagues across Europe return to action.
The Championship leaders, who are seven points clear of third-placed Fulham, are eager to complete the campaign on the pitch, even if curtailment would see them secure promotion on a points-per-game basis.
There is currently no testing programme for League One clubs, with their season set to be decided on unweighted points-per-game, and therefore they will not be able to return to small group training on Monday.
League Two clubs have already “unanimously indicated” they wish to end their season, but the EFL board has described maintaining relegation as “integral” to preserving the competition’s “integrity”.
(c) Sky Sports 2020: Championship: Two people at one club test positive in first coronavirus testing round
