Barcelona’s players to be tested for signs of Coronavirus when they play Napoli amid sudden spread of the disease in Italy which has seen four Serie A games postponed
- Barcelona players will be tested for positive signs of Coronavirus on Monday
- The players’ temperatures will be checked when they land in Naples
- Italy had sudden outbreak of the disease and four Serie A games were cancelled
- Barca face Napoli in the Champions League round of 16 first leg on Tuesday
Barcelona are to be tested for signs of Coronavrirus when they visit Naples on Monday ahead of their tie against Napoli amid the outbreak of the disease in Italy which forced the postponement of several Serie A games over the weekend.
Italian president Guiseppe Conte has cancelled four Serie A games which were scheduled for Sunday including Inter Milan’s game with Sampdoria and Torino’s clash with Parma after the country was hit with a severe outbreak of the disease.
With Barcelona due to travel to the Italian city on Monday ahead of their Champions League round of 16 first leg, players’ temperatures will be checked on arrival and anyone who shows signs of illness will be taken directly to hospital, report AS via ESPN.
Barcelona players will be checked for positive signs of Coronavirus when they land in Naples
The northern region of Italy has been struck with a severe outbreak of the disease spreading around parts of the world as the number of confirmed cases in the country is reportedly at 79, including one amateur footballer, with two deaths so far.
Sports Minister Vincenzo Spadafora sent a letter to Italian Olympic Committee president Giovanni Malago shortly before midnight local time on Saturday saying that sports events would be forced to be cancelled in order to prevent the risk of the disease spreading further.
‘The government is working on urgent measures to decisively confront and contain the cases of coronavirus contagion,’ read the letter.
‘Those measures also include the sports world in order to prevent risks and to better take care of the health of those involved in the events and competition.
‘Following measures taken by the cabinet for protective reasons and maximum precaution, on orders of the government I’m asking you to suspend all sports events of every level and discipline planned for the Lombardy and Veneto regions on Sunday.’
Italy has been struck by a severe outbreak of the coronavirus with 79 cases reported so far
Lionel Messi and co face Napoli in the Champions League round of 16 first leg on Tuesday
Other Serie A games that have been cancelled today are Atalanta’s home tie against Sassuolo and Cagliari’s trip to Verona.
The Barca players will be tested despite Napoli’s game vs Brescia going ahead on Friday, while Genoa’s game against Lazio went ahead and Roma’s clash with Lecce will also be played as planned.
There is no suggestion that the first leg knockout game on Tuesday will be affected by the outbreak.
