EXCLUSIVE: Premier League SHUTDOWN fear: Teams worry that spiralling Covid cases – after record high of 42 in a week – could halt the season with stars having to wait for booster jabs and emergency protocols back in force
- The Premier League have announced a record 42 positive tests for Covid-19
- At least five clubs have had confirmed cases which has sparked concerns
- Clubs are fearful of mass postponements and a need for another shutdown
- The slow pace of vaccination programmes has left players waiting for a booster
- Wolves are the only side expected to meet Boris Johnson’s booster target
Premier League clubs are fearful of mass postponements and the potential need for another shutdown due to the rapid spread of Omicron and their slow progress in vaccinating players.
The League announced 42 positive tests for Covid on Monday night — the most ever recorded in a single week — with at least five clubs having confirmed cases, including Manchester United whose fixture at Brentford on Tuesday is in doubt as a result.
The clubs’ worries have been exacerbated by the slow pace of their vaccination programmes, which has left the majority of players facing a wait to receive the booster jab required to provide protection against Omicron, after studies showed that two jabs offer little immunity.
Premier League clubs are fearful the rise in Covid-19 cases could force mass postponements
Worries have been exacerbated by the slow pace of vaccination programmes at clubs
Sportsmail has learned that Wolves are the only top-flight club who expect to meet Boris Johnson’s target of boosting all over-18s by the end of the month — although Leeds and Brentford are also understood to be well advanced in their planning to give the crucial third jab to their players and staff.
Many players at the other clubs face an anxious wait, however, as the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation are still insisting on a three-month gap between second and third vaccine doses.
The Premier League’s vaccine data is a closely guarded secret, but the last information they published on October 19 stated that 68 per cent of players were fully vaccinated. Almost a third of players will therefore have to wait until at least the end of January to receive their booster, and many others will be hanging on until the new year, because a significant number of second doses were not administered until the start of October.
Manchester United have returned positive tests and their game against Brentford is at risk
Ralf Rangnick’s squad had their training session cancelled on Monday due to the outbreak
Tottenham have already had two games postponed due an outbreak in their squad
The rapid spread of Omicron, which Health Secretary Sajid Javid said on Monday accounted for 20 per cent of the estimated 200,000 Covid infections in the country, has exposed the dangers caused by many players’ vaccine hesitancy, which clubs and Premier League officials have been battling against all season.
The more transmissible new variant has already caused significant disruption. Tottenham’s matches against Rennes and Brighton were called off last week, along with Monday’s Championship game between Sheffield United and Queens Park Rangers. Leicester and Norwich also considered postponing their games against Newcastle and Manchester United before going ahead.
The Premier League insist that with rigorous testing measures in place and emergency protocols reintroduced they should be able to continue, but sources at several clubs are privately questioning whether they can carry on in the event of mass postponements without compromising the competition’s integrity — particularly ahead of the congested festive period.
Six Premier League games were postponed during the second wave last Christmas without a shutdown, though, and league officials will do everything they can to prevent a suspension of the season. Even a brief pause would be disastrous, as it would lead to broadcasters demanding rebates and a huge fixture backlog.
Wolves are the only side expected to meet Boris Johnson’s target of boosting all over-18s by the end of the months
Extending the campaign into the summer — as happened at the start of the pandemic — would be even more problematic this time around, as the 2022-23 season has already been compressed and compromised by the Qatar World Cup taking place in November and December.
As well as announcing the 42 Covid positives — a significant increase on 12 the previous week and seven the week before — the Premier League confirmed the reintroduction of emergency protocols such as wearing face coverings indoors, observing social distancing and limiting treatment time. The clubs are also braced to be asked to perform daily Covid tests on their players, after the checks were upped to three times a week last Friday.
While the twice-weekly order was in place, some clubs were already performing more tests than were required as a precaution, responding to any signs of Covid symptoms by conducting additional checks.
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