The Blues’ game at Fleetwood on January 2nd is in doubt with the total of positive Covid-19 tests at Town having risen to 11 - eight of them first-team players - while two other players are symptomatic despite testing negative and five football staff members are self-isolating having been in close contact with one of those who has tested positive.
On Saturday, Town revealed that boss Paul Lambert and five players had given positive results following tests last Friday, then general manager of football operations Lee O’Neill and another player tested positive at the start of this week.
The club tested 60 personnel on Wednesday including all the first-team and coaching staff who had previously had a negative result, academy staff and some members of the media team who had come into contact with players during the previous week.
"From the second round of testing, we have two more first-team players who have tested positive and a member of the academy coaching staff,” Town physio Matt Byard told the club site.
"So we now have 11 positive cases in total and they are all following the Government guidelines and are self-isolating for a minimum of 10 days.
"In addition we have two players who are symptomatic although they have tested negative at this stage and we also have five football staff members who are self-isolating having been in close contact with someone who has tested positive.""
"The training ground will remain closed and a deep clean will take place of all facilities at Playford Road.
"Players who have tested negative will train independently and away from the club until further notice.”
The Boxing Day home game against Northampton and the December 29th trip to AFC Wimbledon were called off following the initial positive tests, while Town say a decision on whether to make a request to the EFL for the postponement of the visit to Fleetwood remains under discussion.
On Tuesday, manager Lambert and physio Byard both called for a circuit breaker hiatus in the season.