Chelsea close Cobham academy training facility after Covid outbreak
According to The Telegraph, Chelsea have temporarily shut down their Cobham academy training centre due to an outbreak of Covid-19 in the facility.
A number of positive cases were recorded over the weekend. The facilities will now be off-limits for the remainder of the week.
The Blues are the latest side forced to deal with the pandemic. A rise in cases has seen the country plunge once again into a lockdown.
The facility will now undergo a deep clean. The Chelsea youngsters have been advised to stay away until then.
Thankfully, the senior side, academy and women’s squads were kept in separate bubbles. This at the very least would prevent the virus from spreading across all the squads at the club. (h/t The Daily Mail)
Another good news is that the club’s Under-23 side has been spared from being affected. They were training alongside Frank Lampard’s first-team and have thankfully escaped the situation.
Those infected will now go into self-isolation. The outbreak is not without consequences as two of Chelsea academy’s matches have been impacted.
The club’s development game against West Ham on Friday and the Under-18s clash at home to Brighton on Saturday have both been called off. (h/t The Daily Mail)
The pandemic hasn’t just impacted those affected but also their opponents. Our match against Fulham this Friday has now been moved following an outbreak at Craven Cottage.
With Scott Parker’s side set to face Tottenham Hotspur on Wednesday, Chelsea have agreed to postpone Friday’s game by 24 hours, to Saturday. (h/t The Daily Mail)
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With a busy schedule already to deal with, any unforeseen delay just adds to the pressure on the players. Despite taking all the necessary precautions, it is inevitable that there will still be outbreaks.
Hopefully, this year will bring about better fortunes for all involved. We wish those affected a speedy and safe recovery.