Dynamo Dresden positive tests 'not a setback' to Bundesliga restart

The German Bundesliga remains determined to restart their season next Saturday, despite the immediate need to postpone two matches after the entire Dynamo Dresden squad were placed into isolation for 14 days.

Two Dresden players had tested positive for coronavirus and, although Bundesliga protocol does not enforce an immediate group quarantine, the clubs must follow the guidance of each local health authority. It means that Dresden will be unable to complete their first two rescheduled matches in Germany’s second tier, but Christian Seifert, the Bundesliga chief executive, said that this scenario had always been factored in.

There were previously already 10 positive tests among players, although the Bundesliga has also told its clubs that there is “no automatic reporting of a positive case to the press”. This raises the prospect of there having also been other positive tests that have not been publicly disclosed.

The issues in Germany, where coronavirus death rates have been significantly lower than in England, will raise concerns about the viability of a Premier League plan to get back playing four weeks after the Bundesliga.

Spain are also working towards a June restart for La Liga but they reported five positive test results on Sunday among players who were asymptomatic. The players will remain in quarantine at home until they have received two negative tests.

Of news that Dresden’s entire squad must now self-isolate, Seifert said: “If they decide it's 14 days, it is 14 days. We won't change our goals, but just the plans. And the goal has been to finish the season.

"Only two out of 81 Bundesliga two games are affected, currently. We will look at this next week also with the other second division clubs. It's not a setback. It was always clear it could happen.”

The German experience is being carefully monitored by the Premier League and the Bundesliga have produced a 50-page guide of protocols for stadiums, training facilities, hotels and home hygiene.

It openly states that it is likely to “prove impossible” to provide absolute safety guarantees but rather a “medically justifiable risk based on the significance of football (in societal, socio-political and economic terms) and on the development of the virus”.

Two consecutive negative tests have been needed before Bundesliga players can resume training and they must then spend at least seven days prior to the start of the season in quarantine, where further regular swab testing will be carried out.

Players will have to arrive in matches via multiple buses, observing at least a 1.5 metre gap and wearing face masks. The use of changing rooms must then be staggered and limited, with face masks still worn. Minimal distancing would also apply in the tunnel and on the coaching bench, with post-match press conferences taking place virtually.

BT Sport will have exclusive UK access to Bundesliga matches and there will be no restrictions to broadcasting matches on a Saturday afternoon.