This archive report was first published on 24 May 2020.
England's Premier League is facing another coronavirus challenge, with two more individuals testing positive for COVID-19 just three weeks before the proposed restart of the season.
According to the Premier League, a total of 996 players and club staff were tested over three days last week, with two individuals from two different clubs testing positive.
“Of these, two have tested positive from two clubs,” said an EPL statement, dated May 23, 2020.
Players or club staff who have tested positive will now self-isolate for a period of seven days, as per the Premier League's guidelines.
Earlier, on May 17 and 18, a total of 748 individuals were tested, with six testing positive from three clubs. The six individuals are still within their seven-day self-isolation period and did not feature in the recent round of testing.
The Premier League is providing this aggregated information for the purposes of competition integrity and transparency, but will not disclose specific details about the clubs or individuals involved.
Despite the new cases, Premier League chief executive Richard Masters remains confident that the top-flight season will resume in mid-June, with the league hoping to begin playing the remaining 92 matches on June 12 or 19.
