The SPFL have announced lower-league teams will have to test their players for Covid-19 before facing Scottish Premiership sides in the Betfred Cup.
Fears over how sides outwith Scottish football's top tier will be able to afford the testing have been voiced with Kelty boss Barry Ferguson warning the cost of weekly testing could cripple hard-up lower league clubs
And Kilmarnock boss Alex Dyer reckons it's "crazy" for professional teams to be playing sides part-time sides amid the pandemic with the tournament set to get underway on October 5.
Concerns have been heightened in light of recent positive cases involving Hamilton and St Mirren. Those results came after football was issued with a "yellow card" by First Minister Nicola Sturgeon in the wake of Boli Bolingoli and the 'Aberdeen 8' flashpoints.
There remains no requirement for routine swab testing in relation to Championship, League One or League Two matches but players who test positive before a Betfred Cup tie will be asked to self-isolate.
The governing body have announced that any players who test positive will be forced to self-isolate and teams will face a 3-0 forfeit if they cannot honour a tie.
But lower league sides will not be asked to swab test unless they are facing a Premiership Colt team in the Challenge Cup
Top-flight sides can have lower league sides tested but they must pay for it themselves.
Neil Doncaster, chief executive of the SPFL said: “The enormous efforts SPFL clubs are going to is a sign of the sport’s determination to do everything humanly possible to mitigate the impact of Covid- 19. The very future of many of our clubs depends on this comprehensive suite of steps to which clubs are rigorously adhering.
"The fact that Premiership clubs will pay for Covid-19 tests to be carried out by lower league opponents in the Challenge Cup is very positive. Everyone in our game knows we are all in this together and the fact that the game as a whole is taking a very collegiate and mature approach augurs very well for the future.”
