Stade Rochelais announced the closure of its training center and the isolation of its workforce after the detection of five new positive cases in its professional workforce and ten affected players in the Hopes.
La Rochelle has registered 15 new cases of Covid-19 and must keep its training center closed, the Top 14 club announced on Tuesday, whose match at Racing 92 last weekend had been postponed due to the coronavirus. “Following the massive screening campaign carried out (Monday) within the club in order to stem the internal spread of COVID-19 (152 RT-PCR tests), 5 new cases were detected in the professional group and 10 in the Hope group, ”said the club in a statement released Tuesday.
“The training center will therefore remain closed all week and the members of the two groups are in isolation awaiting new samples at the end of the week”, continues the club, whose administrative staff has however resumed its activity. Tuesday because all of its members have tested negative.
First three positive cases detected on Friday
La Rochelle, leader of the Top 14 at the end of the first leg, was unable to go this weekend to Racing 92 after the detection of a positive case of Covid-19 within its workforce and the event of questionable symptoms in two players who tested negative. The shock between the two teams, initially scheduled for Saturday and then postponed to Sunday after the isolation of the maritime group, had finally been postponed by the National Rugby League (NRL) after the appearance of three new positive cases during tests performed on Friday.
The League announced Monday the rescheduling next weekend of four late Top 14 matches, but La Rochelle is not concerned. This announcement comes the day after that of the suspension “at least until early February” of the European Rugby Cups, due to the very rapid expansion of the coronavirus variant in the United Kingdom.
