EFL chiefs ARE aiming to bring back bi-weekly compulsory Covid testing for all players and coaching staff... but they are struggling to roll out programme to 72 clubs due to lateral flow test shortage
- The Government have provided reassurances supply issues will be short-term
- The EFL are aiming to communicate their plans to the clubs on Thursday
- Four games have been called off this week, with more expected to follow
- A twice-weekly testing regime will cost each of the 72 clubs around £10,000
The EFL are planning to bring back mandatory Covid testing for the first time since last summer but are struggling to get enough lateral flow tests to roll out the programme to their 72 clubs.
The government have provided some reassurances that supply issues will only be short-term however, and it is hoped testing can begin before this weekend's matches.
The EFL are aiming to communicate their plans to the clubs today, which it is understood will be an instruction that all players and coaching staff should be tested at least twice-a-week in an attempt to safeguard the festive fixture list.
EFL are planning to bring back mandatory Covid testing for the first time since last summer
The Government have provided some reassurances that supply issues will only be short-term
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More than 50 matches were postponed in December and January 12 months ago before the introduction of twice-weekly testing and four games have already been called off this week, with more expected to follow with the Omicron variant rapidly spreading across the country.
A twice-weekly testing regime will cost each club around £10,000 and the EFL are expected to approach the PFA for help in financing the programme.
The players' union contributed to the costs of the scheme that ran between January and July this year, and are likely to provide assistance once again.
Four games have already been called off this week, including Millwall against Preston
The EFL abandoned mandatory testing last summer when infection rates dropped on the back of the successful vaccine roll out, with clubs only testing players who displayed Covid-19 symptoms, but with the emergence of Omicron such an approach is no longer tenable.
The clubs' training ground and match-day protocols were significantly tightened up last week, including instructions for vaccinated and unvaccinated players to be kept apart, and enhanced testing procedures are expected to follow.
The Premier League's response to Omicron has been even more dramatic, with top-flight players now facing up to nine Covid tests each week.
