Town striker Kayden Jackson has tested positive for Covid-19 but the rest of the first-team squad and staff have been given the all clear ahead of this evening’s game at Doncaster.
Jackson, 26, called in sick on Friday as he was showing symptoms consistent with Covid-19 and was told to stay away from the training ground and self-isolate.
He underwent a test which came back positive and the frontman will now enter an isolation period of at least 10 days.
Although not required to do so by the EFL, the club tested all first-team players and members of staff yesterday morning with everyone being given the all clear. A number of young players had been put on standby just in case.
"The most important thing is that Kayden is feeling a lot better now,” physio Matt Byard told the club website.
""He was clearly unwell and was displaying moderate symptoms of the virus and with the test proving positive, he will be self-isolating for at least 10 days but it’s more likely to be 14.
""We tested all the first-team players and coaching staff first thing yesterday and the results have come back clear.
""It’s obviously a relief because we could have been missing several players or staff if the virus had been passed on. It’s a reminder to everyone about the situation we are all facing at the moment.
""I think it also backs up the stringent measures we have in place at the training ground that minimise contact as much as possible and that could well have been a factor in the virus not being passed on to other players and staff.”
Since they returned for pre-season training in August, players have driven to Playford Road already in their kit and return home immediately after the sessions are finished.
No shower or canteen facilities are in use and the squad adhere to social distancing advice.
Only general manager of football operations Lee O’Neill and a couple of administrative staff occupy the main training ground building with manager Paul Lambert and his backroom team based in the dome, along with the medical staff."
A deep clean of Playford Road took place yesterday with the senior players and staff the only ones given access.
""There are no guidelines to say we had to test the players and staff. No one [other than Jackson] has reported any symptoms but we felt we had a duty of care to test everyone - and a duty of care to Doncaster as well,” O’Neill added.
""We have made the training ground as safe as we possibly can. We have strict protocols in place and it’s been that way since the players returned for pre-season."
"It provides challenges for sure and over the last 24 hours or so we didn’t know who would be available and who wouldn’t.
"We were always going to travel on the day but if we hadn’t got the results before setting off this morning then we would have looked at the players driving at least part of the journey to Doncaster in their own cars, which is obviously not ideal.
"As I said, challenging times but Covid is challenging everyone at the moment.”
Tonight's game at the Keepmoat Stadium against seventh-placed Doncaster kicks-off at 7pm.