Italian football club Juventus have quarantined their entire Under-23 squad and cancelled training sessions after four players of their recent opponents US Pianese ASD tested positive for coronavirus.
The youth team faced Serie C opponents Pianese on February 23. Since then, the Tuscany based club have confirmed four of their players have contracted the virus.
No Juventus player has yet shown symptoms of the virus. However, in a preventative measure, the club have quarantined their youth players and cancelled all forthcoming training sessions.
“The training activities of the Juventus Under 23 team are temporarily suspended,” a statement read on Saturday.
“The preventive measure was decided upon indication, and pending further official communications, by the health authorities of Alessandria (Hygiene and Public Health Service – SISP), with whom the Juventus health personnel are in constant contact.
“The reason is the new cases of contagion of COVID-19, which have emerged in the last few hours among the players of the US Pianese, who the Bianconeri faced on February 23 at the Moccagatta in Alessandria.
“It is specified that, six days after the game, the Juventus players remain asymptomatic and are under medical supervision.
“Juventus is in constant contact with LegaPro.”
The Juventus first team was due to host Inter Milan on Sunday, but the match was one of five postponed by Serie A on Saturday. The games, all in regions where sporting events have been banned by the government, had been due to be played behind closed doors.
Italy has registered more than 1,100 confirmed cases of coronavirus since the contagion came to light in wealthy northern regions on February 20 and at least 29 people have died.
The country has responded by imposing travel restrictions in the north of the country while a number of towns in the region have been completely locked down, with very limited numbers of people being allowed in or out.
On Friday, the World Health Organization upgraded the global risk of the virus to “very high” – its top level of risk assessment.
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