Status: 01/16/2022 01:07 am
Julius Kühn tested positive for the corona virus at the European Handball Championships in Hungary and Slovakia. In other nations, significantly more players are affected – but the European Handball Federation EHF only tightens the rules in detail.
The German Handball Federation (DHB) announced the test result on Saturday (01/15/2022) on its website. Kühn went into isolation immediately after the result became known on Saturday evening. “He’s staying in his single room overnight. It’s possible that he’ll have to move to a quarantine hotel tomorrow,” said DHB sports director Axel Kromer. “We are not even starting to look for where he could have been infected. We have followed all the rules.”
According to the DHB, Kühn has already received a booster vaccination and is symptom-free. “The Ct value determined in the positive test result indicates a low level of infectivity,” the statement said. “In the seven PCR tests carried out by the entire delegation since the New Year, Kühn, like all other team members, has consistently received negative results.”
Quarantine for at least five days
In the German team’s opening win against Belarus (33:29) on Friday, Kühn was one of the best players with six goals. According to tournament rules, the 28-year-old must now remain in quarantine for at least five days. He could then test himself free with two negative PCR tests, which must be at least 24 hours apart, and take part in the game again.
Kühn will miss the other two preliminary round games against Austria (Sunday, from 5.45 p.m. live on the first) and against Poland (Tuesday, 6 p.m.).
Numerous cases before and during the tournament
While the German team had previously been spared from corona cases, many other EM participating countries were hit hard. For example, Germany’s group opponents Poland had five more cases at the Bratislava venue in addition to the numerous positive tests in preparation.
Croatia announced on Saturday that four other players were affected – all of them were still in the squad against France on Thursday, with at least four of them being used. When asked by the sports show, the EHF announced that around 15 players had tested positive since the teams arrived. Among them are cases like that of the Dane Jannick Green. The goalkeeper from Bundesliga leaders SC Magdeburg had already been infected in the training camp and kept to his quarantine period. After negative tests, he was allowed to travel, but then received another positive result on site.
Mask requirement in Hungary tightened
The European Handball Federation (EHF) relies on a strict tournament bubble at the European Championships and relies on a two-day PCR test rhythm. Despite the numerous other infections, no changes to the hygiene concept are planned for the time being, said an EHF spokesman when asked about sports shows.
However, the mask requirement in the Hungarian halls has been tightened. According to the EHF, as in the co-host country, an FFP2 mask is now mandatory there. After numerous spectators could be seen without masks in the first games, the EHF announced that there should now be more controls. The occupancy is not changed: In Slovakia, only 25 percent of the seats may be occupied, in Hungary there are no restrictions.
Complaints about measures in Hungary
While the German delegation always expressed satisfaction with the security measures in Slovakia, there was criticism of certain circumstances in Hungary, especially at the beginning of the tournament. Among other things, France’s star player Nikola Karabatic complained that the team also encountered normal hotel guests in the dining areas who did not wear a mask. In the EM hygiene concept, on the other hand, there are separate areas for the teams. The EHF told the sports show that these complaints had been responded to directly and the measures had been improved.
Source: sportschau.de