Rotherham United suffer one of the largest Covid outbreaks in English football, with 25 players and staff affected as the area suffers some of the highest infection rates in the country
- Club chairman Tony Stewart believes players and staff have caught coronavirus in the community where rates are still high and they have brought it into the club
- Rotherham area currently has the third highest rate of infection in the country
- Leeds and South Yorkshire is one of the worst Covid-affected regions in England
- Rotherham United have had three matches postponed due to the outbreak
Rotherham United has suffered 25 cases of coronavirus after high rates of infection in the local community spread to the club.
The Millers were forced to face high-flying Watford with a heavily depleted squad – and without manager Paul Warne – on Tuesday night, losing the home game 4-1.
The South Yorkshire outfit are desperate for points – sitting six from safety in 22nd place in the Championship – but also in urgent need of playing games, since they have four matches in hand on some rivals.
Rotherham United had to field a depeleted squad against Watford after one day of training
The club was forced to postpone its previous three matches because of the outbreak and only trained for one day before facing the Hornets.
Earlier in the season, Rotherham called off five matches because of coronavirus or bad weather.
Rotherham chairman Tony Stewart believes high rates of coronavirus in the local community have spread to the club
Club chairman Tony Stewart told Sportsmail he is confident his club has done everything it could to prevent the spread of Covid, but infection rates have remained persistently high in the local area and the virus had found its way in.
‘We are cautious,’ said Stewart. ‘We keep our distance, we wear masks, we are tested twice a week and we are doing everything we can.
‘But there has been an outbreak in Rotherham. Players go home to their families. They live in and around Rotherham and they are exposed to it in the community.’
Stewart, who runs a manufacturing company in Rotherham employing 200 people, as well as fulfilling his role in running the club, believes the high concentration of factories in the area has contributed to the spread of the virus.
Government figures show that the prevalence of coronavirus in Leeds and South Yorkshire, where most of the players and staff live, is currently greater than in any other part of the country.
The EFL uses a lateral flow test to detect Covid, which is less accurate but cheaper than PCR
In the week ending March 12, Rotherham had the third highest Covid infection rate in England, with a seven-day rolling rate of 129.6 cases per 100,000, compared to the national average of 59.5.
Only neighbouring Barnsley and Bradford, in West Yorkshire, were higher.
The outbreak at the New York Stadium is believed to be one of the biggest in English football.
Shrewsbury Town suffered an ‘astronomical’ outbreak, according to the club, in January, which left manager Steve Cotterill in hospital. The actual number of infections was never revealed.
Shrewsbury Town manager Steve Cotterill was hospitalised after an outbreak at the club
Aston Villa also suffered a major outbreak when 14 players and staff tested positive for Covid in one week.
Stewart said that most of the players and staff had suffered only mild symptoms.
‘They are coming back in stages,’ he said.
‘The international break gives us two weeks and a high percentage will be back training after that and ready for selection.’
The positive tests in the Rotherham outbreak were the only Covid cases recorded in the routine checks carried out by the EFL in the week to Sunday March 14 . All 71 other clubs returned no positives out of 5,533 tests.
The number of Covid cases identified in the EFL has fallen steadily since early January
The EFL and the Premier league have been highly successful in detecting and controlling the spread of coronavirus since relatively high rates of infection in December and January.
The Premier League tests staff and players twice a week with the highly accurate PCR test. In the EFL, the twice weekly checks are lateral flow tests and while less accurate they have proved effective at identifying infection, particularly if used regularly.
In recent weeks, no more than two cases have been identified in either league on a weekly basis.