Berlin: The Bundesliga’s plan to restart in May faced increased opposition Monday with a German virologist warning that players’ health remains at risk from the coronavirus.
Leipzig-based Professor Uwe G. Liebert told the Mitteldeutsche Zeitung newspaper that the league’s proposed hygiene measures — games without fans, continuous testing and permanent monitoring of players — are not sufficient to guarantee the safety of those involved. “We don’t know about the long-term effects of an illness with COVID-19,” Liebert said, referring to the death of a 31-year-old without underlying health problems from the disease. “It’s possible to get very sick or die from the virus at a young age.” Liebert, the head of the Institute of Virology at the University of Leipzig, said the league’s plan to quarantine any players who test positive for the virus is flawed. “You can only detect an infection after 48 hours … From my point of view, all people in contact with a soccer player are first-degree contacts,” he said, referring to the disease control center Robert Koch Institute’s label for people in close contact for more than 15 minutes. “So everyone would have to go in quarantine, possibly also the opposing team.” Despite a ban on all large gatherings through the end of August in Germany, soccer officials had been hoping to restart the league without spectators as early as May 9, however, the decision is not in their hands. (AP)
