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Arsenal Head Coach Mikel Arteta Tests Positive For Coronavirus

The English Premier League earlier this week postponed a much-anticipated football match between Manchester City and Arsenal, before which Mikel Arteta had boasted that he had some insight that he could use to outplay the Citizens.
Sputnik

The club said in a statement early on Friday that Mikel Arteta had tested positive for the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19).

"Our London Colney training centre has been closed after head coach Mikel Arteta received a positive COVID-19 result this evening [...] Arsenal personnel who had recent close contact with Mikel will now self-isolate in line with Government health guidelines. We expect this to be a significant number of people from Colney, including the full first-team squad and coaching staff, as well as a smaller number of people from our Hale End Academy which we have also temporarily closed as a precaution", the club said.

​As of Thursday, the number of contagious Chinese disease cases in the United Kingdom had jumped to 596. At least 10 people have reportedly died.

The pneumonia-type virus has, meanwhile, spread across 110 countries and prompted the World Health Organization on Wednesday to name COVID-19 a pandemic.

Major sporting events and entire seasons across the globe have been postponed or canceled, including the NHL, the NBA, MLB and Euroleague tournaments.

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