The English Championship recorded 42 new cases of Covid-19 on Monday, a record since test results began to be published in May 2020, the Premier League announced. “Between Monday December 6 and Sunday December 12, 3,805 tests were carried out among the players and staff members. Among them, 42 new tests came back positive ”, the Premier League said in a statement.
Only a dozen cases were reported last week, but outbreaks of Covid have since appeared in several top clubs, including Manchester United. The League has already asked clubs to reinstate health measures such as masks or social distancing, while Britain recently imposed new restrictions.
The previous record for the number of positive tests in the English Championship was 40 at the beginning of January after two rounds of tests. Last week, Tottenham had reported thirteen cases among its players and staff, which resulted in the cancellation of the Europa League Conference match against Rennes, then that of the trip to Brighton in the Championship. Manchester United were also affected and had to shut down their training center for 24 hours. The club said on Monday that it had entered into discussions with the League to postpone its game in Brentford scheduled for Tuesday 14 December.
Other clubs, including Norwich, Leicester and Aston Villa, have also reported several positive cases in their squads. A trend that confirms the upsurge in the number of Covid cases across the Channel, which exceeded the bar of 50,000 daily cases this weekend.
The Premier League is currently under discussion to strengthen emergency measures to fight against Covid, in particular with the return of three tests per week.