The Jersey Reds player had recently travelled off-island during a week off and visited an area ranked as green on the government’s risk rating system. They tested negative on their return to the Island but positive five days later when they were tested again, as per a new protocol for passengers arriving from green areas.
In a statement the club said strict measures had been in place since players returned for training after lockdown in August and immediate action had been taken following the positive test result on Friday afternoon.
Harvey Biljon, Director of Rugby, said there were clear measures in place for such a situation.
‘All our training is recorded so that we have a record of which members of players have been in close contact, and we were quickly able to identify those concerned, any other staff members affected and those who spent time with the affected player outside the club,’ he said.
He added that as a result of the club’s contact tracing a group of colleagues were now self isolating and would be tested.
‘This work took place immediately and we weren’t taking any chances,’ he said. ‘We were also in touch with health officials from the Government of Jersey and have informed the Rugby Football Union.’
Before the positive test the club had already introduced various anti-Covid measures, including daily temperature and wellbeing checks for all staff, recording of all training activity and enhanced hygiene measures.
‘Although we didn’t want to get this news, it is something that we’ve been prepared for since the start of August, and this meant we knew exactly what to do,’ Mr Biljon added.
The club, which does not currently have any confirmed fixtures, said it would continue to monitor all staff in order to ensure that the ‘maximum possible levels of mitigation relating to the risks of Covid-19 remain in place’.
