The planned return of the Bundesliga is in doubt as Germany may be forced to tighten lockdown restrictions after a spike in coronavirus cases.
Chancellor Angela Merkel and the various heads of state in the country announced a loosening of social distancing last week with some small businesses reopening. Meanwhile, German clubs returned to training several weeks ago and had hoped to resume playing games on 9 May.
However, according to the Daily Mail, this return date could be pushed back as COVID-19 continues to spread across the country.
Germany’s virus reproduction rate – which is an indicator of how quickly the coronavirus is moving between people – has shot up to 1.0. This means that, on average, each infected person is passing the disease on at least once.
Merkel has said that if this figure remains the same, hospitals in the country would become overwhelmed by June – and if there is no change then a second lockdown would be “unavoidable.” The Bundesliga was suspended in March and despite neighbours France, Netherlands and Belgium abandoning their seasons recently, there was hope the campaign would be resumed soon.
If a return does happen, a number of new regulations will be put in place. Games will be played behind closed doors with strict restrictions on who will be permitted to travel to to the stadium. Players and coaches would also be subject to an unprecedented level of testing to ensure that no one is carrying COVID-19.
There has been discussion about increasing the amount of permitted substitutions from three to five, in order to reduce fatigue and deal with fixture congestion. Plans are even being considered to make players wear face masks during games in order to stem the spread of the disease.
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