[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Hyung-min] The English professional football Premier League (EPL) has decided to resume matches on the 17th of next month, and it has been confirmed that all recent COVID-19 tests conducted on players and club staff have returned negative results.
The EPL office announced on the 31st (Korean time) in a statement, "In the 4th round of COVID-19 tests conducted on 1,130 players and club staff from the 28th to 29th, there were no positive cases."
The EPL office conducted the 1st COVID-19 diagnostic test on 748 players and club staff on the 17th and 18th, followed by the 2nd test on 996 people from the 19th to 22nd, and the 3rd test on 1,008 people from the 25th to 26th.
While 12 confirmed cases were found in the 1st to 3rd rounds of testing, fortunately, no positive cases were detected in the 4th round conducted on the 28th and 29th.
Accordingly, the decision to resume the EPL has gained momentum. EPL clubs decided at a meeting on the 28th to restart the league with matches between Manchester City and Arsenal, and Aston Villa and Sheffield United starting on the 17th of next month.
The UK government has also allowed the resumption of domestic sports from next month.
The EPL office plans to conduct the 5th round of COVID-19 diagnostic tests on players and club staff on the 1st and 2nd of next month.
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