Major League Soccer announced on Sunday that 18 players and six staff members have been testing positive for COVID-19 since full team training resumed on June 4.
The league is expected to start at the Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Florida on July 8, with all 26 clubs participating in the “MLS is Back Tournament.”There are no plans to postpone the game at this point, a league spokesperson told Jeff Carlisle to ESPN’s.
On arriving in Florida, all players and club staff members were administered tests. A total of 329 people were tested on-site, with two positive results coming from the two players coming from their respective hometowns.
“Any person who tests positive for COVID-19 while in Orlando must engage in a healthcare provider’s clinical evaluation and transfer to the hotel’s isolation area before he or she receives medical clearance,” the league said.
“When in isolation, MLS players and other personnel will be in constant contact with a health care provider and receive remote treatment including symptom monitoring and routine follow-up testing,” the statement added.
Concerns over the ability of Florida to securely host the competition continue to rise. Earlier this week, after those limits were relaxed prematurely, the State re-imposed virus controls after regular cases surged.
In Florida, more than 141,000 recorded coronavirus cases were logged. The global figure came to 10 million by Sunday, with more than 500,000 confirmed deaths from the virus.
