August 23, (THEWILL) – The English Premier League confirmed on Monday that between Monday last week, August 16, and Sunday August 22, 3,060 players and club staff were tested for COVID-19 across two rounds of testing organised by the league.
From this number over that period, there were 16 new positive test results for the coronavirus infection but the league refrained from directly mentioning the affected clubs where these positive cases were registered.
The league also indicated a change of the testing process, an alteration that it noted was in line with testing provisions in healthcare. As a result, the EPL was going to apply lateral flow tests this season, and anyone who tests positive will then take a PCR test to confirm the result.
All of these testings and the application of the lateral process were part of the League’s determination to provide the best environment for the game to proceed according to schedules without hindrances and without any worry on health and safety grounds.
The management of the League was resolved to making every possible means to apply the aggregated information processed from all the testing for the purposes of competition integrity and transparency.
To this end, the EPL stated on their website that “no specific details as to clubs or individuals will be provided by the League and results will be made public on a weekly basis”.
However, THEWILL reported that there was a COVID-19 infection concern at the north London club Arsenal after no fewer than four players at the Emirates returned positive tests for the coronavirus last week. It kept both of the Gunners’ strikers Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette away from the opening loss to Brentford on Friday
Although Aubameyang returned to the pitch on Sunday as a second half substitute against city rivals Chelsea in what was their second loss of the first two games of the season, Lacazette and new defender Ben White have still to fully recover. Nor have Willian and Runnarson, who initially contracted it too.
Previous weekly COVID-19 test results have returned nine positive cases in the August 2 to 8 week and 11 between August 9 and 15. The new figure of 16 shows a significant increase in positive cases. It should become worrying if this week’s results are higher.
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
