Swedish footballers will not be tested for Covid-19 before games
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Swedish soccer players and coaches will not be required to take a test for Covid-19 before training sessions or matches as part of the countrys proposed return-to-play protocol during the pandemic.
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Instead, they will have to fill in a self-assessment form each morning and email it to their club doctor no later than two hours before arriving for training, or before arriving at a stadium for a match. The doctor will then assess whether the players and coaches are healthy enough to take part.
They must stay at home if they have any symptoms.
It follows the general principle adopted in Swedish society that only people who “are feeling so ill that they must visit a hospital get a full-scale corona test", the Swedish league told The Associated Press on Tuesday.
"So, in line with that, we do not have the opportunity to test our players."
Sweden currently has more than 27,000 cases of Covid-19 and its death toll stands at more than 3,300.
The return-to-play protocols for training and professional matches, which were published by the Swedish league on Tuesday, have been presented to the countrys Public Health Authority.
The authority is expected to decide this week whether the top two Swedish leagues can start next month. They are hoping to begin playing matches on June 14, more than two months after the initially scheduled start date.
Swedish society hasnt completely shut down during the virus outbreak because the government and health authorities have chosen not to impose as many restrictions as other countries.
Different protocols across Europe
This is reflected in its proposed return-to-play protocols in soccer, which differ to other leagues in Europe.
Just across the border in Denmark, for example, players and certain staff members will make self-examinations before training sessions, then enter a “testing regime” before league games or friendlies against other clubs, Danish Superliga chief executive Claus ThRead More – Source
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