Balzan FC have put their first-team squad in isolation after one of their players tested positive for COVID-19, the Times of Malta can confirm.
Sources close to the Premier League club said that the player tested positive last weekend and the whole first-team squad has been put into isolation while awaiting to undergo swab tests.
Balzan are currently
undergoing their pre-season preparations under the charge of coach Mark Miller
and this case certainly has thrown their plans in a bit of a turmoil, particularly
with Covid-19 cases in Malta showing a significant rise in the last few days.
A club source
told the Times of Malta that the club’s protocol is to follow the authorities
guidelines.
He said that the advice that they were given was to ensure all members of the squad self-isolate until Wednesday and in the meantime, everyone undergoes a swab test.
Should any member
of the squad show any symptoms he will take the test immediately, even though
at the moment it’s quite difficult to get a test given the high demands.
Balzan have
issued a statement to confirm the news.
“Balzan FC confirms
that one of our players has tested positive for Covid-19. The player is in
perfect health and is complying with the sanitary isolation protocol at home,
as required by the Health Authorities,” the Premier
League club said.
“The club further
wishes to confirm that it is in contact with all the relevant authorities and
is putting all the required precautionary measures in place. This will include
a temporary halt to squad training, until all players and officials are tested
and cleared for the virus.”
Although this is
the first case of a Premier League player to have tested positive, but the
Times of Malta can confirm that a First Division club has also discovered a
first case over the weekend.
In this case, it is not a player who tested positive but a member of the medical staff.
The First
Division club has isolated five players who worked with the member of the
medical staff recently and they too have under went a swab test to check if
they have the Covid-19 virus.
With cases of Covid-19 now also starting to feature in a number of clubs, it certainly puts a question mark on whether the 2020-21 season will get underway on schedule.
One has to see
whether clubs will be ready to put their players at risk with cases in a number
of clubs.
Last March, the clubs put a lot of pressure on the MFA to halt the National Leagues even though none of them had recorded a case of COVID-19 so it looks like the new season, which is due to start in September, maybe at risk if more cases emerge.
