Chelsea impose travel restrictions on players amidst Covid-19 fears

Chelsea ban risky holidays for players amid coronavirus scare

According to a report from Matt Law of The Telegraph, Chelsea have taken a precautionary step of imposing strict travel restrictions on the players during off-season amid the coronavirus fears.

In order to minimise the risk of players contacting the virus and spreading it to teammates, the club will restrict players from flying to COVID-19 hotspots.

That would mean players’ preferred holiday destinations such as Ibiza, Marbella and Portugal will all be off-limits. The ban could also prohibit some players from visiting their homelands, the report adds.

Currently, there have been restrictions placed to travels to and from Belgium, Andorra and the Bahamas by the UK government, while Spain and Luxembourg are also on the quarantine list.

Arrivals from the aforementioned nations are being placed under a 14-day self-isolation, while the Foreign Office is insisting on only ‘essential travel’ to the nations.

This would mean that the likes of Cesar Azpilicueta, Marcos Alonso and Kepa Arrizabalaga will not be allowed to return to Spain, while Michy Batshuayi cannot fly back to Belgium either.

In addition, Christian Pulisic will also be unable to fly to the United States while Willy Caballero will be prohibited from travelling to Argentina as well.

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The club’s French and Italian contingent of players such as Olivier Giroud, N’Golo Kante, Kurt Zouma Jorginho and others will be allowed to return home, while German duo Timo Werner and Antonio Rudiger will not face the restrictions either.

However, that could change should the government add these countries to the quarantine list as well.

Chelsea will have a near five-week break before next season kicks off. Given the prevailing circumstances, it is the right move by the club to ensure the safety and well-being of the players.