Neil Lennon admits he's deeply concerned by the Covid-19 surge within Scottish football and wider society.
Celtic have had three positive tests within their squad as Odsonne Edouard, Hatem Abd Elhamed and Nir Bitton were all struck down on international duty.
The Parkhead boss has also been without Ryan Christie after he was ordered to self-isolate for a fortnight.
St Mirren's clash with Hamilton Accies has become the latest in a string of Premiership fixtures to be postponed due to Covid protocols.
Professional football has been granted exemption from the new five-tier pandemic control system unveiled by the Scottish Government on Friday but Lennon remains troubled by implications for the game and for the health of players.
Lennon was asked about getting points on the board as quickly as possible in the as yet unlikely event Scottish football bosses are again forced to take the nuclear option and conclude the campaign.
He replied: "Yeah, I mean it's not looking good at the moment, whether it be for football or for society in general, and at the end of the day the public health is the most important thing, and this virus just does not seem to be deteriorating the way we want it to.
"So you can't be accountable at times for picking up the virus, it's very easy obviously to catch, and my sympathies go to St Mirren and I hope the players are okay.
"It's been a major concern for me as a manager, with the three players that we've had pick it up, because you just don't know how people will react to it.
"It doesn't matter how fit they are, it can affect a lot of people in a lot of ways, but so far they seem to be okay."
Following back to back defeats to Rangers and AC Milan, Lennon is steadfast in his belief that criticism of his players is over the top.
They travel to Pittodrie for a meeting with in-form Aberdeen this Sunday and the manager insists his players are raring to go.
He said: "I'm past the stage of my career where, I think, criticising players probably works.
"You don't get the right response and I don't think they deserve it.
"People should cut them a bit of slack, they'll come again and be stronger than ever.
"Looking at them, they've got the bit between their teeth again."
You can watch Lennon's full press conference via the video player above.
