There
have been no positive tests for coronavirus after the fourth round of
Premier League testing.
The latest batch of tests, which were conducted on Thursday and Friday this
week, are the first to take place since clubs unanimously agreed a return to
contact training.
A total of 12 people tested positive from over 2,700 tests conducted in the
first three rounds.
For the fourth round of testing, the number of tests available to each club
increased from 50 to 60. 1,130 people were tested in total.
COVID-19 impact on football
March 5 - Pre-match handshakes banned in the Premier League.
March 11 - Man City vs Arsenal is first Premier League game suspended;
Liverpool vs Atletico Madrid the last top level game played in England.
March 12 - Man Utd, Wolves play away Europa League ties behind closed doors,
Rangers host Bayer Leverkusen in front of fans.
March 13 - Football suspended following an emergency meeting between PL, FA,
EFL and WSL
April 15 - SPFL clubs approve plan to end the Scottish Championship, League
One and league Two seasons.
May 15 - League Two clubs vote to end the season with immediate effect.
May 17 - Premier League players and staff tested for COVID-19.
May 18 - Scottish Premiership curtailed, with points per game determining
league positions and Celtic named champions.
May 19 - Premier League clubs return to socially distanced group training.
May 25 - Women's Super League cancelled, with title and relegation to be
determined.
May 27 - Premier League clubs vote to resume contact training.
A Premier League statement read: "The Premier League can today confirm that
on Thursday 28 May and Friday 29 May, 1130 players and club staff were
tested for COVID-19. Of these, zero have tested positive.
"The Premier League is providing this aggregated information for the
purposes of competition integrity and transparency. No specific details as
to clubs or individuals will be provided by the League and results will be
made public after each round of testing."
The Premier League has set a provisional date of return for June 17,
provided all safety tests are cleared, with Sky Sports showing 64 live
games, including 25 which will be broadcast free to air.
In addition to the 39 matches scheduled to be broadcast on Sky before the
coronavirus interruption, 25 more matches will be available on both Sky
Sports Premier League and Sky's free-to-air Pick channel.
In an exclusive interview with Sky Sports News on Friday, Premier League
chief executive Richard Masters said test results from the first three
rounds had been "reassuring" and the number of positive cases were at an
anticipated level.
Testing will continue on a twice-weekly basis as the resumption of the
season moves closer.
It's official - Football is back!
The government has issued health and safety guidelines which will pave the
way for elite sport to return behind closed doors in England from Monday.
The rules form stage three of the process of bringing sport back from the
coronavirus lockdown. Stage two, which allowed for close-contact training
for elite athletes, was published last Monday.
Oliver Dowden, the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport,
said: "The wait is over. I can now make it official: football is coming
back.
"Live British sport will shortly be back on in safe and carefully controlled
environments.
"This guidance provides the safe framework for sports to resume competitions
behind closed doors. It is now up to individual sports to confirm they can
meet these protocols and decide when it's right for them to restart.
"This is a significant moment for British sport. By working with clinicians
every step of the way, we are creating the safest possible environments for
everyone involved."
Premier League chief executive Richard Masters said: "The Premier League
welcomes the Government's announcement today.
"We have provisionally planned to restart the Premier League on 17 June, but
there is still much work to be done to ensure the safety of everyone
involved.
"This includes consulting with our clubs, players and managers - along with
all our other stakeholders - as the health and welfare of our participants
and supporters is our priority.
"If all goes well, we will be thrilled to resume the 2019-20 season in just
over two weeks' time."
'Reserved optimism over test results'
Analysis from Sky Sports News reporter Geraint Hughes...
On the day when the Government gave the green light for elite domestic
competition sport to resume on June 1, the Premier League also revealed that
the fourth round of COVID-19 testing returned not one positive test.
Even in these early green shoots of recovery towards the resumption of
football on June 17, it's encouraging and pleasing news.
What makes the data even more intriguing is that the latest round of tests
saw the largest pool of players and other club staff tested (1130).
Prior to these latest results, both the Premier League and government had
expressed reserved optimism with just 12 positive tests overall.
Now with 3882 tests undertaken in total, the percentage of positive tests
drops to just above 0.3 per cent.
In a week when many clubs stepped up their training after the government
last Monday allowed 'close-contact' training to begin again, these figures
will allow for further optimism.
As both the government and the Premier League have been keen to make clear,
the health and safety of all players and staff is paramount.
So while there is further cause for optimism after the fourth round of
tests, it remains crucial that the rigorous hygiene and medical processes
put in place continue to work.
The fifth round of testing is due to take on Monday and Tuesday of next
week, following the government now formally allowing elite sport to resume.
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