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Omicron variant: Portugal probes local transmission at soccer team

LISBON, PORTUGAL – Portuguese health authorities on Monday identified 13 cases of Omicron, the new fast-spreading coronavirus variant globally, among members of a leading and growing football club. investigate whether this is one of the first reported cases of local transmission of the virus outside of southern Africa.

The Ricardo Jorge National Institutes of Health said one of those who tested positive was a player from Lisbon-based Belenenses SAD football club, who had recently traveled to South Africa, where the Omicron variant identified for the first time. Others are reported not to have traveled to southern Africa, where most cases have been recorded so far.

The institute said that people who have been in contact with the positive cases have been asked to isolate, regardless of their immunization status or their susceptibility to infection, and will be regularly tested for COVID-19, the institute said. rescue said.

Portugal’s medical director general, Graca Freitas, said the players of Lisbon’s biggest team, Benfica, which played Belenenses SAD on Saturday, would also be tested for the virus.

Freitas told local radio station TSF: “Since this is a new variant, we have to tighten control measures.

When asked about whether the match would be allowed, the official said that health authorities do not decide on professional football games and the clubs themselves made the appeal.

The Primeira Liga match started with only 9 Belenenses SAD players on the field – less than the 2 players required by the match – due to the coronavirus outbreak. But the referee suspended the game shortly after half-time, when Benfica led 7-0, when only seven Belenenses SAD players came on and the team then lost one more player.

Club president Rui Pedro Soares said that despite a negative squad, his club had not requested a postponement of the match.

Benfica said that its players were tested on Monday as usual and that results would be expected later in the day. It said the club had not received any requests to cancel Saturday’s match and league protocols were being followed.

Benfica’s next scheduled match is a Primeira Liga derby against Sporting Lisbon on Friday.

Portugal also detected two positive cases of coronavirus when it screened 218 passengers who arrived in Lisbon on a flight from the Mozambican capital on Saturday. Authorities said one of the cases was a Delta variant and the other could not be established.

Despite having one of the highest vaccination rates in Europe, with 86.6% of its 10.3 million residents having received two coronavirus shots, authorities in Portugal have tightened pandemic restrictions in light of the recent increase in infections.

Starting Wednesday, mask wearing will again be mandatory in enclosed spaces and digital certificates proving vaccination or coronavirus recovery must be presented to enter restaurants and cinemas. movies and hotels.

The new measures also make a negative test result mandatory for everyone arriving on a flight from abroad.

The General Department of Health officially reported 2,897 new cases on Sunday, with 764 people hospitalized, 104 people in the intensive care unit and 12 deaths. More than 18,400 people have died from COVID-19 in Portugal since the beginning of the pandemic.

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Parra reports from Madrid. AP sports writer Tales Azzoni of Madrid contributed to this report.

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