Premier League return: What happens if a player tests positive for coronavirus?

The return of top-flight football in England will see the Premier League players back in action after a hiatus of three months due to the coronavirus pandemic. While the highly-anticipated Premier League return is scheduled for June 17, there are lingering doubts over the Premier League coronavirus testing along with the travel itinerary for the Premier League fixtures with flying to away games considered improbable. The initial Premier League coronavirus testing period saw six positive cases from 748 samples, and Project Restart has since adopted numerous safety measures for the Premier League return, including match ball sterilisation. 

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Premier League return: What happens when Premier League players test positive for coronavirus? 

The issue of what happens if Premier League players test positive for coronavirus is one that has led to a debate between the Premier League, health professionals and the UK Government, through the Department of Culture, Media and Sport with, it is understood, the final decision resting with Public Health England. Earlier reports by The Telegraph suggested that if the Premier League coronavirus testing finds a player positive for coronavirus, the league was not of the intention to send the entire squads into quarantine. According to The Sun, if a Premier League players show symptoms of the virus they will have to quarantine themselves for seven days before going through the Premier League coronavirus testing procedure again. Even if the player in question tests negative and still has symptoms, they will still have to follow the procedure.

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During the entire course of the remaining Premier League fixtures, each club will receive 80 tests to ensure that 40 Premier League players and staff can be tested each week. The National Health Service (NHS) which has been lauded by many Premier League players during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic in the UK will not be responsible for the Premier League coronavirus testing. The Premier League is reportedly paying Hong Kong-based company Prenetics around £4 million for 40,000 testing kits to be used on Premier League players and staff. In a chat with The Independent, the company's chief executive Avi Lasarow said that the preference will be to help the NHS in any way possible and their supply of coronavirus testing kits or the Premier League return was not from NHS' capacity. 

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In addition to the extra measures the Premier League will be taking, staff and players will have regular temperature checks as is being done in many organisations, along with filling out a medical questionnaire daily. According to reports from Daily Mirror, the Premier League will send inspectors to each training ground to observe the behaviour of players and inform them to stop spitting during the games. Furthermore, jersey swaps and bottle sharing will not be the norm upon the Premier League return, as the Premier League is taking all steps necessary to reduce the chances of a second wave of the coronavirus pandemic. 

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