Sheffield Wednesday beat Derby County on New Year’s Day in the Championship but now COVID-19 outbreaks force both to close their training ground doors.
COVID-19 Outbreaks Force Training Ground Closures
Sheffield Wednesday Close Middlewood Road Training Ground
Earlier today, Sheffield Wednesday confirmed that a number of players and staff had tested positive for COVID-19 in the latest round of testing. The South Yorkshire club have declined to comment further on numbers affected but expect players to train at home for at least the next two days.
The news comes after a difficult period for Sheffield Wednesday after they sacked manager Tony Pulis just last week.
Derby County Close Moor Farm Training Ground
COVID-19 has also affected Derby County and the club have closed their Moor Farm training ground after several of their first-team players and staff tested positive for the virus. As with Sheffield Wednesday, Derby have not specified the number of players and staff affected, saying in an official club statement: “Staff members and players were tested on Monday and have subsequently returned a number of positive results.
“The names of those individuals will not be made public for medical confidentiality reasons, but they and their close contacts must now serve a period of isolation at home in line with UK Government guidelines.”
Upcoming Fixtures
Neither Derby nor Sheffield Wednesday have confirmed whether their upcoming games will go ahead but the Derby statement did state that conversations will be taking place with the English Football League and the Football Association.
Coronavirus Lockdown Announced but Elite Sports Will Continue
Covid cases have been rising in football as they have across the entire country and a new national lockdown was announced on Monday, January 4 by Prime Minister Boris Johnson. Football at an elite level will be allowed to continue but with cases rising and games being postponed each week, it could be a long season ahead once more.
Main Photo
