The clubs in the Italian Serie A are going to donate five coronavirus or COVID-19 test kits for everyone they will use after they start the training for a probable resumption of the season, a report of the Corriere Dello Sports newspaper stated on Saturday.
The report stated that the suggestion was a part of the proposals drawn by the Italian Football Federation ( FIGC) and was sent to the government, which is going to have the final say about whether the clubs can start training again.
Clubs to donate COVID-19 test kits
The move could help answer any criticism that soccer could be taking away much-needed resources such as testing kits if it is allowed to re-start. The FIGC, whose president is Gabriele Gravina, is hoping clubs can resume training in May, although sports minister Vincenzo Spadafora said on Wednesday he was still not ready to approve a date.
The FIGC has already published some details of its proposal. It says players and staff at each club - or around 40 to 50 people - should be tested and then isolated in a training camp to begin their preparations.
For the first week, players would have to train individually, respecting social distancing guidelines. If, after that, there are no positive cases, teams can start normal training. In an interview with the same newspaper, a leading Italian virologist said it would not be necessary to stop the whole competition if a player tested positive.
Francesco Vaia, of the Lazzaro Spallanzani National Institute for Infectious Diseases, said the re-opening of the country, including football, needed a combination of "common sense and science which should go hand-in-hand".
"We don't have to stop everything if a player tests positive," Vaia said. "The answer is to treat football in the same way as the healthcare workers. If I find a healthcare worker who tests positive, I don't suspend everyone from work. "We put those who came into contact with him under observation with blood tests and swabs."
(With agency inputs)
