A Longford senior inter-county footballer is to sit out this weekend's scheduled Allianz Leagues Division Three match as a coronavirus precaution, after returning home from a trip to Italy.
The Longford Leader is reporting the player will not be involved for the Celtic Park match and is expected to return to the panel for the final game against Cork on Sunday week, March 22nd.
The move is understood to be purely precautionary, but given the impact of coronavirus in Italy to date it was decided he would sit out this weekend's fixture.
Longford currently sit second in the Division Three standings on seven points, while this weekend's opponents Derry are in fourth.
There has been no official word on postponements from the GAA for any of this weekend's Allianz Leagues games, although Basketball Ireland have suspended all activities.
In a statement they had said they made the move as they felt it was best given the advice of medical experts.
"The health and safety of the Basketball Ireland community is our priority and we are determined to be proactive regarding precautions to limit the spread of the Coronavirus
(COVID-19).
"Basketball Ireland is, therefore, instructing all affiliates to suspend all basketball competitions and events with immediate effect.
Please see official Meath GAA statement: pic.twitter.com/yeFqjPZsKV
— Meath GAA (@MeathGAA) March 11, 2020
"We understand that this decision will result in inconvenience and disappointment to many players, coaches, officials, volunteers and supporters, particularly at this time when various
competitions are reaching their concluding stages."
Just yesterday Simonstown Gaels GAA club in Meath confirmed one of their players had tested positive for COVID-19 upon returning from Italy.
The club confirmed the news in a statement, while a second player who had travelled is in self-isolation as a precaution.
"This member is an adult player who recently went on holiday in Italy. We wish the club member a full and speedy recovery. The player was one of two players from the club on the trip abroad. In advance of their return these players were requested by team management to undertake and readily agreed to a period of two-weeks of self-isolation.
"The second player is still in isolation and currently showing no signs of symptoms. Neither player has visited the club since their return.
"The club informed the HSE and the County board of this development and is seeking advice and guidance from the HSE as we believe that our duty of care to our members and community in general is of paramount importance.
"We take this opportunity to ask that everyone respect the privacy of the players in question and their families and also ask that members acquire their information from reliable and verified sources.
"The club will provide details when further details become available."
