The Premier League has confirmed that six players and/or club staff from three clubs have tested positive for coronavirus ahead of Project Restart.
On Sunday and Monday, 748 players and staff underwent tests for Covid-19 after clubs unanimously voted to approve the first phase of their return-to-training protocols.
Of those 748 tests, six were positive - with those results coming from three clubs - meaning a little under one per cent of those tested in total currently have the virus.
Those who have tested positive will now self-isolate for seven days. Players will continue to be tested twice a week, with 40 tests per session as part of an agreement with Prenetics, with the company stating that the tests are 98.8 per cent accurate.
A Premier League statement read: "The Premier League can today confirm that, on Sunday 17 May and Monday 18 May, 748 players and club staff were tested for COVID-19.
"Of these, six have tested positive from three clubs.
"Players or club staff who have tested positive will now self-isolate for a period of seven days.
"The Premier League is providing this aggregated information for the purposes of competition integrity and oversight.
"No specific details as to clubs or individuals will be provided by the Premier League due to legal and operational requirements."
A number of players have raised concerns about the prospect of returning to training, with Watford captain Troy Deeney saying he would not return this week out of concern for his son's health.
Deeney said: "We're due back in this week. I've said I'm not going in," he told a podcast with boxing promoter Eddie Hearn and former WBC cruiserweight champion Tony Bellew.
"My son is five months and he's had breathing difficulties. I don't want to come home to put him in more danger. You've got to drive in in your own kit, you can't have showers, then you've got to drive back home in the same dirty kit you've got."
There are also concerns regarding recent statistics released this month that black men are 4.2 times more likely to die from Covid-19-related causes than white males.
Around a third of Premier League players are from a Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) background.
Additional reporting by Reuters.
