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HEALTH-VIRUS-FBL-LIGA-ESP-ARG,LEAD
Valencia confirm five positive tests for coronavirus, among them Garay
MADRID, March 15, 2020 (BSS/AFP) – Valencia confirmed on Sunday five of
the club’s players and staff have tested positive for coronavirus, including
Argentinian defender Ezequiel Garay.
Valencia said all those affected were “now at home, in good health and
obeying self-isolation measures.”
Garay, who was set to miss the rest of the season with a knee injury,
became the first player in La Liga to confirm a positive test earlier on
Sunday.
“Clearly I’ve got off on the wrong foot in 2020,” Garay wrote on social
media. “I’ve tested positive for the coronavirus, I’m fine and now just
listening to the health authorities, at the moment in isolation.”
Valencia confirmed more cases shortly after Garay’s announcement. “Valencia
CF confirm five positive cases of the COVID-19 coronavirus have been detected
amongst first team staff and players.
“All of these persons are now at home, in good health and obeying self-
isolation measures.”
Valencia played behind closed doors on Tuesday in the Champions League
against Atalanta, the Serie A team based in Lombardy, one of Italy’s worst-
hit regions by the virus.
After playing the first leg away at Atalanta on February 19 without
restrictions to supporters, Valencia was one of the first Spanish clubs to
take precautions.
The club announced on February 28 they would be suspending all non-sporting
activity with the first-team after a journalist attending the opening game
against Atalanta was confirmed to have tested positive.
All engagement with the media before and after subsequent matches against
Real Betis on February 29 and Alaves on Friday was cancelled, while a tribute
to the club’s former player David Villa was also called off.
La Liga have since suspended all league fixtures for two weeks while clubs
have closed down their training grounds and instructed players to train alone
from home.
An unnamed Real Madrid basketball player tested positive for coronavirus on
Thursday.
Serious doubts remain about whether the current season can be finished,
with La Liga understood to be in favour of extending the campaign into the
summer and postponing Euro 2020 until either later this year or 2021.
UEFA will hold a video conference on Tuesday, where football’s response to
the virus will be discussed, along with the status of Euro 2020, the
Champions League and the Europa League.
BSS/AFP/RY/1950 hrs