With more and more players testing positive for the virus, and more spikes happening across the country, could the league get suspended again?
Months on from the first wave of the Covid-19 outbreak, the virus still has not been contained in many countries – and there are worries that further play could be paused or suspended, depending on the severity of new cases and a potential second wave.
So could the Premier League be headed for another break in action? Goal takes a look.
Could the Premier League be suspended again due to Covid-19?
The Premier League has not announced what measures will be taken should a second wave of Covid-19 potentially disrupt play.
The initial outbreak of coronavirus in March caused football worldwide to be suspended for three months, with the 2019-20 season finally resuming in June following improved case numbers due to social distancing and quarantine measures being effective in helping prevent the spread of the virus.
However, regions in the UK have now been placed on a second lockdown as fears have grown over a second wave of the virus, with 7,000 new cases having been confirmed in the country on October 2, along with 66 deaths.
The news comes in tandem with Prime Minister Boris Johnson announcing that new Covid-19 restrictions within the UK could last six months.
However, concerns have undoubtedly increased due to a handful of Premier League players and staff testing positive in recent weeks.
Manchester City‘s Ilkay Gundogan tested positive for the virus in September, alongside West Ham coach David Moyes.
Liverpool duo Thiago Alcantara and Sadio Mane are two of the latest figures to have tested positive for Covid-19.
Mane was subsequently ruled out of Liverpool’s trip to Aston Villa and is not expected to return to action until after the international break, depending on the outcome of further tests.
It creates further worry about how many more players in Jurgen Klopp’s title-winning team would produce positive coronavirus tests – and, on another level, it is a blow for Liverpool as they now have to work out how to fill Mane’s role in the team during his absence.
For now, the protocol for Premier League players contracting Covid-19 is for them to go into a period of self-isolation and, once test results signify that they are free of the virus, return to action.
Riyad Mahrez previously tested positive for the virus in September, and returned to action later in the month after making a full recovery.
The best-case scenario is that players who test positive self-isolate individually, returning to the team once healthy – in the hope that the virus has not been further transmitted to the rest of the team.
Unlike in March, there is the benefit of no fans in the stadium, which further prevents the spread of the virus. Additionally, social distancing measures continue to be taken within the stadium to help slow a potential second wave.
However, should larger clusters of positive tests come out of each team and the second wave does produce more spikes, it is possible that the Premier League could suspend play once again.
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