Premier League COVID-19 crisis: Possible shutdown as cases rise among teams

The English Premiere League is on the brink of a coronavirus crisis and West Brom boss Sam Allardyce thinks that the league should consider taking a break.

On Tuesday, the league returned a record number of positive results after the latest round of COVID-19 tests were conducted in between match days. 18 people across the league tested positive, leading to issues in the upcoming match schedules. Before that, the match between Manchester City and Everton on Monday was postponed due to the discovery of several COVID-19 cases.

The match between Fulham and Tottenham on Wednesday has been put in doubt due to the positive cases. Likewise, Sheffield United returned "numerous positive tests" according to the BBC.

"I'm very concerned for myself and football in general," said Allardyce. "Everyone's safety is more important than anything else. When I listen to the news that the variant virus transmits quicker than the original virus, we can only do the right thing, which is have a circuit break."

Allardyce also explained that a break in the season appears to be the best thing to do since constant testing and other safety protocols has not stopped the virus from spreading across the Premier League.

"As much as we're getting tested - we had one positive this week - it seems to be creeping round. No matter how hard we try, no matter how many times we get tested, how we wear our masks, how we sanitise our hands, we're still catching a lot infections round the country.

Southampton boss Ralph Hasenhuttl was forced to stay home and work remotely during his side's clash against West Ham because of a positive case in his household.

Both the EFL and League Two are also affected, with a large number of games having to be postponed over the past week.

Wolves manager Nuno Espirito Santo is also concerned about the rising number of cases in the league. "The rising of the cases is increasing massively over the country and we are not an exception. Some things are impossible to avoid. If there's a break coming, then people have to sit down and see if it's for the better."