The Premier League on Wednesday confirmed that it has “full confidence” in its Covid-19 protocols and in ability to host the matches as scheduled.
This remark has come after the fixture between Tottenham Hotspur and Fulham became the third game in the league to be postponed in December.
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Fulham had lodged a request with the Premier League Board to reschedule their away fixture against the Spurs after witnessing a significant rise in positive Covid-19 cases. Some of the Fulham players also showed symptoms on Wednesday.
“The Premier League Board has consulted its medical advisors and the decision to postpone the game has been taken as a precaution and with the health of players and staff as the priority. The group will now be re-tested immediately,” the league said in a statement.
“With low numbers of positive tests across the overwhelming majority of clubs, the Premier League continues to have full confidence in its COVID-19 protocols and being able to continue to play our fixtures as scheduled.”
Earlier in December, Aston Villa’s match against Newcastle United became the first to be postponed due to Covid-19 cases within the teams after which Manchester City’s away game at Everton was rescheduled on Monday.
Meanwhile, a new mutant strain of COVID-19 has been blamed for the recent spurt in cases. The new SARS-CoV-2 variant is reportedly 70% more infectious.
The variant, which is believed to have resulted from multiple mutations in the spike protein of the SARS-CoV-2, has been referred to as VUI (Variant Under Investigation) 202012/01, or the B.1.1.7 lineage.