West Ham United Head of Medical Richard Collinge has explained the swift and decisive response to the positive COVID-19 tests returned for David Moyes, Issa Diop and Josh Cullen on Tuesday evening.
The Club’s medical staff were informed of the results just after 6.20pm by the company responsible for controlling the Premier League’s COVID-19 testing programme.
A pre-planned and meticulous process was immediately put into action, with both players withdrawn from the starting line-up to face Hull City and, along with the manager, from the main group before being assessed in designated isolation room and then sent home, all in line with UK Public Health and Premier League protocols.
“It’s obviously a challenging time for all of us with increasing numbers of COVID-19 cases within the general population,” said Collinge, who oversees all aspects of the Club’s medical operations. “As a club, we are obviously working hard with the strategies and protocols that we have in place. On Tuesday night we had the unusual situation, just before the team went out to warm-up, when we received the news that we had three positive tests within the camp.
“The immediate priority was to make sure those three individuals were safe – we have an isolation room here at the stadium where we were able to assess them medically and then, at the right moment in time, asked to leave the stadium to self-isolate at home.
“All three went home and, in line with Premier League rules and regulations, were re-tested immediately and we await their results within 24 hours.
“We will also re-test the entire playing squad and staff at our Rush Green training facility, to ensure that everyone is fit and healthy, and that we protect them and their families.
You never want this to happen, of course, but we were ready for it and were able to move quickly to deal with the situation
Head of Medical Richard Collinge
“We will also deal with the psychology of the situation to ensure that everyone is comfortable with the environment in which we are working.
“We are always trying to be pro-active – that is why we have followed the testing protocols that have been in place since lockdown finished and nothing has really changed.
“That is why those protocols are in place – for moments like this – so that we can action things quickly and move on to the next phase, to get everyone back in as safely as possible.
“You never want this to happen, of course, but we were ready for it and were able to move quickly to deal with the situation.”
Everyone at West Ham United continues to follow the strict protocols and guidelines around COVID-19, with the health and safety of our players, staff and supporters an absolute priority at all times.
Those who tested positive on Tuesday were re-tested immediately, and the entire playing squad and staff at Rush Green will all be tested again on Wednesday.
There will be further deep cleans of both Rush Green and London Stadium, on top of the regular cleaning programme taking place each day, and all players and staff will continue to carefully follow all social distancing and extra hygiene measures in place.