Chesea’s Callum Hudson-Odoi is first Premier League player to test positive for coronavirus

The first case of a Premier League player testing positive for the novel coronavirus is Chelsea winger Callum Hudson-Odoi.

Chelsea winger Callum Hudson-Odoi has tested positive for COVID-19, the club confirmed late Thursday, making him the first Premier League player with a confirmed case of the novel coronavirus.

Hudson-Odoi’s diagnosis comes just a few hours after Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta was confirmed to have tested positive as well.

Chelsea announced that the “full men’s team squad, coaching staff and a number of backroom staff” will self-isolate.

Chelsea are scheduled to play at Aston Villa on Saturday, but the Premier League has announced meeting is set for Friday morning to discuss the plan for upcoming fixtures.

The confirmed positive diagnoses of a player and manager could cause a reversal in the Premier League’s stance on playing this weekend’s games. Earlier on Thursday, the Premier League had put out a statement saying that this weekend’s matches would still go ahead and still be played in front of fans, despite opposite decisions everywhere else in the world.

Across Europe, La Liga and Serie A have already called off upcoming matches, while the Bundesliga and Ligue 1 plan to play behind closed doors if at all. In the U.S. on Thursday, Major League Soccer announced that its season would suspend matches for 30 days.

It’s unclear how Hudson-Odoi came in contact with the virus, but according to Chelsea’s statement, “Callum displayed symptoms similar to a mild cold on Monday morning and has not been at the training ground since then as a precaution. However, his test came in positive this evening and he will undergo a period of self-isolation. Despite testing positive for the virus, Callum is doing well and looking forward to returning to the training ground as soon as it is possible.”

For more information about COVID-19, visit the CDC’s website or the website for your state’s Department of Health.