Arsenal have confirmed that all players will remain at home when their 14-day period of self-isolation comes to an end.
Earlier this month the Gunners shut both London Colney and Hale End when it was confirmed that head coach Mikel Arteta had contracted Covid-19.
That news sparked a dramatic escalation in football’s response to the coronavirus outbreak with the Premier League, EFL and WSL postponing all matches until 4 April. That date has since pushed back to 30 April and it’s widely expected that further delays could be announced.
While the Gunners could, in theory, return to training tomorrow, the club has told all coaching staff and players – senior, academy and women – to stay at home.
This is in line with government advice which states that everyone in the UK should, where possible, practice social distancing in order to reduce pressures on health services and stop the spread of coronavirus.
“Our men’s first team players were scheduled to return to training on Tuesday after completing 14 days isolation following Mikel Arteta’s positive diagnosis for the virus,” a club spokesperson.
“As a result of the current situation we are clear it would be inappropriate and irresponsible to ask players to come back at this time. Therefore our men’s first team, women and academy players are all remaining at home.
“Stay at home and save lives.”
At the weekend, Arsenal confirmed a small workforce would continue to maintain the facilities at the training ground and the pitch at Emirates Stadium.
Football.London’s James Benge also reports that the club have committed to paying matchday and non-matchday casual workers until 30 April and will revisit the situation should a further delay be imposed.
Arsenal have committed to paying matchday and non-matchday casual workers until April 30. Situation will be assessed again if there are further suspensions.
— James Benge (@jamesbenge) March 23, 2020
According to various reports, Mikel Arteta has been holding daily video conference meetings with his staff and the players, who’ve been sent gym equipment, are sticking to personal training plans while they wait for further updates.
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While we’re not medical experts, it’s pretty clear the responsibility is on every single one of us to do our bit to help quell this outbreak.
So please, wherever you are, whatever your circumstances, do heed the message to stay at home.
Please stay vigilant and we embarrass this pandemic.. prayers going out to those who are affected.
Soccer sucks right now
I wonder when all this ll pass and how the world look like from then on. My prayers goes out to everyone who has contacted the virus, wishing you a good recovery and a great day to everyone
world pollution is already at (recent) record lows, Venice is now clear of much in the canals and wildlife is returning. A possible insight into life without humanity damaging it. Let’s hope the lesson there is learned as well as others.
Blogs we will always be with you, through good and bad. Thank you as well for providing the most reliable news for atleast the last 11 years that I’ve been here.. As much as Arsenal is being missed rn, we will all get through this unprecedented bad time and come out a stronger community. Wish everyone a safe quarantine
Thank you 😉
I have not verified, but holding your breath with little to no difficulty for 10 seconds is an all clear for fibrosis, an earlyish symptom of Covid-19.
If the medical peeps could confirm? And the savvy ones run with it?
Stay safe.
Fake news a man. Please don’t wait till you can’t hold your breath for less than 10 seconds to get help. Try to get help or isolate yourself at the early sight of fever, running nose, throat pain or cough. Stay safe, stay home, wash hands and avoid touching your face unnecessarily
Fake news. Runny nose is not a CV symtom.
Stick with the official advice dude. Take no notice of bullshit appearing on social media.
Thank you for underlining the importance of being responsible. I cannot
believe how selfish people are.
Hope the people who were complaining of scaremongering on this post is now convinced that COVID-19 is a real issue and acting responsibly.
(https://arseblog.news/2020/03/sport-in-italy-shut-down-as-arsenal-follow-advice-re-corona-virus/)
Me too
If fear mongering is discussing the plan behind all this then please consider me a fear mongerer (although I do find it ironic the people quoting uncontextualised morality rates that are known to be overestimated are the ones now throwing around fear mongering). What happens after this two weeks or month or who knows how long? Make the shutdown too short and it’s useless, Videos just starts spreading again. Make it too long and it’s global recession that will cost millions heading towards billions of jobs (due to the global scale of these shut downs), mass poverty, mass mental health… Read more »
Virus* not videos
What are you trying to achieve? You’re not an economist, or a virologist, and from the way you write I’d wager you’re no kind of scientist or care giver at all, either professionally or personally. You know as little about the realities and wide reaching implications of this pandemic as anyone, yet you’re so insistent on convincing people that you’ve got a better grasp of what’s going on than any of the many professionals? Public debate is for things like your favourite player, the best car or drink or food. Nobody, and I really mean not a fucking soul alive… Read more »
I am a scientist, and my thought process follows scientific convention. That is considering the data in its full sense, not just sensationalised numbers like 2, 3, 4,… 9%death rates that do not reflect the full infection rates. That is also considering all sides of the story. The impacts on small businesses, and precariously employed are already significant AND if this turns into a full recession will be dire. So Mr. Humanitarian, tell me your feelings towards the livelihoods, and mental physical health of millions of the lower and lower middle class that could be catastrophically affected by this if… Read more »
I am also a scientist and most scientists will not agree with your sentiments here. First of all nobody is claiming the shutdown will not have a severe economic impact. There is no perfect solution for a crisis of this scale. I also don’t get why you are going on about overestimating the death rates. Other way to look at the “overestimated death rate” is that we are underestimating the infection rate, so they basically cancel each other out to an extend. The bottomline is we have disease that is killing and/or hospitalising way too many people that the health… Read more »
First, I absolutely respect (finally) a rational debate on issues that isn’t centred around attacks. We need more of this… 1. “Other way to look at the “overestimated death rate” is that we are underestimating the infection rate,” This I absolutely agree with. It is about that and that is a very difficult to determine especially in a virus that has very minor effects in many many instances. Really they are one and the same, whichever way you want to look at it. In fact this is the critical question of the whole problem. Is the disease severe enough… Read more »
thank you for this level-headed comment.
I am of the opinion that global lockdowns will ruin more lives than the virus itself. I just hope I’m wrong.
Sorry, but that article doesn’t even back up the arguments you’re making. First of all, it’s written by a doctor! (I think doctors know what the f*ck they’re doing Dave) Yes, the doctor is very sad about extreme measures like lockdowns. He’s sad that students miss out on the full college experience, old folks are separated from younger family members, no sports etc. But he also acknowledges the necessity of those measures. And he says the key mistake was *not taking swift action earlier*. To quote the doctor: “The early imposition of travel bans in this country likely did much… Read more »
Let’s set a few things straight. 1. I have followed social distancing Guidelines to a tee, even more so than most. I’m not some rebel out there doing what the fuck they want. I go out to the shops when I have to and take my sun for a ride into the forest without interactions. 2. This is a big situation, I habe acknowledged that from the word go, suggesting some space and viralent hand washing. But surely you can see from what I have said and the Dr. That numbers have been misused and overblown which has stoked paranoia.… Read more »
Sorry
Are what they are *
Not
Are good they are…
I’m not sure you’ve thought this through. Doctors and politicians are also concerned about the economy and a possible global recession… …but what happens to the airline, hotel and other hospitality industries, agriculture and food production when a pandemic is allowed to spread unchecked? When conditions become so contagious that hospital and healthcare workers becom e incapacitated and can’t do their jobs? This virus could wipe out entire industries and leave national health systems crippled. Why do you think countries like Russia, China and Cuba are sending doctors and nurses to Italy where almost 900 people died (directly or indirectly)… Read more »
Again…the question left unanswered. When does it end? Next week and we do the “virus runs through society” dance anyway and the shutdowns will have been for nothing? or a long-term thing and a global recession. Where is the information on this?! Why are the public not being informed of long-term plans. This lack of dialogue continues to stoke fears of the unknown and the unknowns in a capitalist driven society leads more and more to recession. Yes the virus will have a major impact on on health care systems. It will overload them. But like I have said (see… Read more »
This rant would be more persuasive if you understood the point of disease control.
Since you understand disease control then my question of how long the shutdown should last would be an easy one for you to answer then…?
I guess so should the question of the number of lives you’re willing to wager by creating a lockdown long enough to stop the virus at the same time cripple the economy, fast track global recession against adding “X” days, weeks, months, years onto the lives of our elderly with pre existing medical conditions.
Easy questions for such an expert on disease control and pandemics… Go!
Here’s the problem with your entire argument in a nutshell – this pandemic is a global health problem FIRST, and a global economic problem SECOND. Not the other way around.
So stay home, follow WHO guidelines, and if you could be a bit less obnoxious on here, that would great.
… Point missed again… Global economic problems become global health problems… And once again I’ve followed all directions… Maybe time for you to think about voting for politicians that support public health… Peace…
Everyone’s responsibility to cooperate with professional guidelines and the respective authorities. My prayers to those affected already and I know the worst is yet to come. As much as I miss watching the team and football in general I look at the current situation and get humbled. In a country like ours, I genuinely fear a wipeout is on the cards.
Please stay at home, save lives
Uh wipeout? You mean human extinction? Over reaction much? No doubt this is a serious thing which will claim plenty of victims, but in the interest of fairness my thoughts also go out to the 10 million people who will die of cancer this year, the hundreds of thousands who will fall foul of normal flu, needless war fatalities, car accident fatalities and that one bloke who is unlucky enough to be eaten by a catfish.
call it overreaction all you want. Countries with far greater healthcare services are on the edge already. The worst part about us is that most people live in urban centres and mostly dependent on daily income for survival. Impossible to see how a full lockdown of the city can work for even a week. One way or the other the ailing healthcare system will be overrun by the spread due to interactions or people will starve.
Well we might as well all give up then. Clearly you feel like there is no hope at all, and I am sorry for you. Firstly, the affect of the virus in each country in not linear. For example, Italy has an aging population and caught the brunt of the infections before anyone knew what to do. Secondly, full lock down of a city for a week is not designed to stop the virus. It is to buy time, therefore flattening the curve and allowing hospitals to stock up on necessary equipment (esp ventilators, masks, etc) and so not too… Read more »
work from home huh? we live different lives fellow gooner. I see your point but where i am from it’s well off the mark. I am a bit privileged and by that i mean i have enough supplies for a month but I know most people around me who have nothing beyond 2 or 3 days. Might be hard for you to believe but lack of food and essential needs like clean water will wipe them out young and old maybe worse than the virus. We might even reach a stage where questions have to be asked about stay at… Read more »
Sorry, for some strange reason I assumed you were in the UK. Be well and stay safe.
Whilst at home, can we think how to help Sp*rs celebrate next season, to show that we are all at one with them. Given that they won’t win anything this season, next season is:
30 years since winning the FA Cup
60 years since winning the League.
We must be able to think of ideas to help them celebrate their anniversaries, let me know what you suggest.
Haha well maybe we should just wait for to
celeb the centennial of them not winning anything?