London, December 14 (BNA): The English Premier League revealed 42 cases of COVID-19 among players and staff of various clubs over the past week, the Premier League announced, Monday, just hours after raising doubts about the Manchester United match against Brentford. . disease outbreak in the club.
42 positive tests from more than 3,800 individuals is more than the sum from the previous seven weeks combined, a record for the best English language flight in one week.
“The association has returned to its emergency procedures, and will increase the frequency of both lateral flow and PCR COVID-19 testing for players and staff,” the association said in a statement.
United said they have closed their training complex after positive COVID-19 tests in the first team.
United are due to play in Brentford on Tuesday, but the club said it has reached out to the Premier League to discuss whether the match will go ahead.
Old Trafford did not say how many individuals have tested positive for the novel coronavirus, Reuters reported.
“Individuals who have tested positive are being isolated in accordance with Premier League protocols,” the club said in a statement.
“Given the cancellation of training and the disruption to the squad, and with the health of players and staff prioritized, the club is discussing with the Premier League whether it is safe to continue Tuesday’s match against Brentford.
“Team and staff travel to London will be postponed pending the outcome of that discussion.”
Aston Villa coach Stephen Gerrard and Brighton & Hove Albion coach Graham Potter said they have two players who have tested positive for Covid-19.
“We re-tested this morning and we have two staff members and two players missing for the foreseeable future,” Gerrard said.
Potter said Brighton has “three or four” cases. “Now we’re just checking and making sure it’s on that number.”
Last week, Tottenham Hotspur’s two matches were called off due to the COVID-19 outbreak at the club affecting players and staff – the last Europa League group game against Rennes and the weekend’s league trip to Brighton. Read more
While the Brighton match has been postponed, UEFA said the Conference League match will not be played due to the lack of days available in the calendar, with Tottenham risking being out of the competition if forced to lose.