Four Sampdoria players given virus all-clear

Four Sampdoria players who had contracted the coronavirus have recovered from the disease, the Serie A club announced on Thursday.

In a short statement, Sampdoria said that the players had undergone “two tests in quick succession” and are “currently negative” for COVID-19, just a week after announcing that the four had the virus.

Samp, Fiorentina and Torino had between them announced eight cases of the virus among players, which has killed over 31,000 people in Italy and left the season suspended since mid-March.

On Saturday, AC Milan announced that they had found no cases among first team players or staff, a day after after president Paolo Scaroni told local media that some of the club’s players were recovering from the virus.

Serie A wants to restart the suspended season on June 13, over three months since it was halted, if they get the all-clear from the Italian government.

Earlier on Thursday the president of the Italian Olympic Committee (CONI) Giovanni Malago sad he was “99 percent” sure that the league would restart on that date.

Clubs have been given permission to restart team training sessions from Monday after players were allowed to enter club facilities for individual sessions earlier in the month.

The most delicate issue surrounding a possible restart to the 2019-20 campaign is the quarantine period after an eventual positive test, with government scientists seeking a two-week isolation period for those who have been in contact with the infected person.