Following the spread of the Coronavirus, Chelsea’s winger, Callum Hudson-Odoi, has tested positive for the virus, leading to Blues full squad going into self-isolation.
READ ALSO: Coronavirus: Seun Kuti Faces Coachella Disappointment
In a statement released in the early hours of Friday, Hudson-Odoi displayed cold symptoms on Monday morning and has since isolated himself from the entire team.
His test result, upon its returned, on Thursday night, confirmed him as the first Premier League player known to have contracted the virus.
The club stated: “Chelsea men’s team player Callum Hudson-Odoi had a positive test result for coronavirus returned this evening.
“Chelsea personnel who had recent close contact with the player in the men’s team building will now self-isolate in line with Government health guidelines.
“These will include initially the full men’s team squad, coaching staff and a number of backroom staff.
“It is expected that those who did not have close contact with Callum will return to work in the coming days. In the meantime, the men’s team building, one of several separate buildings at our training ground, will remain closed.
“The rest of our training facility, Stamford Bridge and our other facilities are operating as normal.”
The EPL giants said that the 19-year-old England international was doing well and looking forward to returning to the training ground as soon as it is possible despite testing positive.
The team are scheduled to play at Aston Villa on Saturday evening live on Sky Sports.
In the meantime, the English Premier League board will hold an emergency meeting on Friday to determine a course of action in response to coronavirus.
Chelsea’s statement added: “We will continue to adhere to Government and Public Health Guidelines with regard to our facilities and staff and will be discussing next steps with regards to upcoming fixtures with the Premier League on Friday morning.”
Elsewhere, the Spanish La Liga, the Dutch Eredivisie, Portugal’s Primeira Liga and USA’s Major League Soccer have been suspended over coronavirus concerns.
It was gathered that there will be no action in the Spanish top flight for at least the next two rounds of matches as a result of the quarantine of the Real Madrid squad.
La Liga, however, took action after a Real Madrid basketball player, who shares training facilities with the football club, tested positive for the virus.
Real’s match against Manchester City in the Champions League on Tuesday was, on Thursday, postponed for fear of the pandemic.
Also, Netherlands’ top two leagues have also been suspended for the same period while the 2020 Major League Soccer season, which started less than two weeks ago, has been suspended for 30 days.
