Premier League set to ramp up Covid testing for clubs in tier 4 amid coronavirus fears

Protocols will return to the levels implemented during ‘Project Restart’ after an increase on coronavirus cases

The Premier League is set to ramp up Covid-19 testing for clubs in tier 4 areas over the festive period following the significant rise in positive cases.

Clubs across London, the south and south-east of England will be subjected to coronavirus testing twice a week after Christmas in an effort to protect players’ safety, amid growing concerns about the spread of a Covid-19 variant that has triggered a fresh lockdown across the hot-spot areas.

It’s planned that the increase in testing will then be rolled out across the entire Premier League from January, although it’s understood that the provisions for twice-a-week tests will apply only to the Premier League and not for clubs in the English Football League.

The increase in testing mirrors the protocols that were in place when the Premier League first resumed during the coronavirus pandemic in June under the ‘Project Restart’ banner, when all players were tested twice per week before protocols were reduced at the end of the 2019/20 season.

The Government placed large parts of south-east and eastern England into tier four over fears of a new variant of the virus which is believed to be more transmissible.

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The Premier League clubs currently in tier four are Arsenal, Chelsea, Crystal Palace, Fulham, Tottenham and West Ham.

The Premier League had said when it cut testing back to once a week at the start of the new season that it would keep testing levels under review.

Latest Covid-19 testing figures revealed that there were seven positive cases from 1,569 tests carried out among players and staff at all 20 clubs, with only one match in the top flight postponed this season following Newcastle’s Covid-19 outbreak that left them unable to fulfil their fixture against Aston Villa earlier this month.