Juventus have reported suspended all their training sessions and put all their Under-23 players in quarantine. This was as a result of three Serie C side Pianese players who have tested positive for the Coronavirus outbreak in Italy. One of the affected persons is Nigerian Italian born Akpan Udoh King who is the first Nigerian and footballer to contract the virus.
The Italian top side announced the suspension of the training sessions last night. This is to help to prevent the rapid outbreak of the coronavirus in the country. The Old Lady side which defeated Pianese 1-0 in the Serie C league game suspects their players might have contracted the disease.
The team they played against is the team which King Akpan Udoh plays for and it is very possible a player could have contracted it there. With the virus spreading in that club (Pianese), it has affected three players and the team manager as well. It was only wise to suspend all activities that will involve them making physical contact with each other.
The Old Lady side have ordered their Under-23 players to remain in their various homes until March 8. All the players have been tasted and thankfully nobody has shown any symptom of the respiratory disease. Currently Italy has the highest number of victim with the virus in Europe. They have so far recorded a total of 1049 patients with the virus and have recorded at least 29 deaths.
The latest updates were given by the Italian government, which they now claim has risen to 1,128. The authorities have stated people should remain indoors and avoid contact with others. People who are nursing one illness or the other are the ones that are mostly affected.
The most hit areas are Emilia-Romagna, Veneto and Lombardy Emilia-Romagna while Bergamo and Milan have also been reported hit by the outbreak. The outbreak reaching Milan stooped Juventus’ penultimate clash with Inter Milan, which was supposed to be played indoors on Saturday evening, was postponed. The game will now be played May which is next month pending on how well the disease is combated.
Both Inter and AC Milan have closed their school, markets, offices and staff are working from home in the affected regions. However, Restrictions have, however, been lifted in other regions where the outbreak has been largely contained, such as Piedmont, Friuli and Liguria.
Juventus vs A.C Milan Copa Italia Semi finals
Juventus and Milan are set to battle it out next Wednesday in the Coppa Italia semi-final in Turin, with local fans only being allowed to enter the stadium. Thursday’s match between Napoli and Inter at the Stadio San Paolo will only be open to nearby residents too, but the authorities could well postpone both before then. Milan is in Lombardy, so having supporters travel from the most affected area would be considered a danger to public health.
This weekend, Serie A fixtures Udinese-Fiorentina, Milan-Genoa, Parma-SPAL, Sassuolo-Brescia and Juventus-Inter were moved to May 13.
People and fans are reminded to wash their hands thoroughly and wear protective masks and gloves to avoid contamination.
