Celtic have received confirmation that they are exempt from the mass isolation ordered by the Scottish Government for passengers returning from Dubai after a spike in cases in the UAE forced a decision to close the air bridge.
There were fears that the club would be caught up with The Scottish Government’s demand that those travelling back to Scotland from Dubai would have to isolate for ten days had they arrived back in the country after January 3.
Sky Sports News’ Anthony Joseph confirmed that the club were in talks with The Scottish Government and were considering the next steps emanating from the positive test result from a member of the playing staff.
The Scottish Government has confirmed that Celtic are exempt from their new quarantine rules for Dubai.
They are in contact with Celtic “providing advice on the next steps” after one player tested positive for #COVID19.
— Anthony Joseph (@AnthonyRJoseph) January 10, 2021
🚨 BREAKING: The Scottish Government confirms newly introduced Dubai quarantine rules do not apply to sportspersons who have attended ‘elite training’ overseas.
They also say its clinicians are in contact with Celtic to provide advice on next steps after positive test result. pic.twitter.com/4ByiG9tQsO
— Clyde 1 Superscoreboard (@ClydeSSB) January 10, 2021
Joseph updated fans to say that Scottish Ministers would decide whether the trip qualified as elite sport. Surely the people that Ok’d the trip would be able to stick to their guns. So it appears that a lot is up in the air relating the issue.
This is the latest from the Scottish Government to @SkyNews.
They will now make a decision tomorrow on whether Celtic’s trip will qualify under elite sports.
They had previously said it would. https://t.co/arP2LSJPPk
— Anthony Joseph (@AnthonyRJoseph) January 10, 2021
However, there is a concern that there may be isolation orders issued against close contacts to the player in question – who is yet to be named. Looking back to two issues from the International Break earlier in the season, Ryan Christie was identified as a close contact by Stuart Armstrong along with Kieran Tierney. Celtic may fear that the authorities may list more Celtic players as close contacts to the player in question.
Celtic face Hibernian tomorrow night at Celtic Park and it will be interesting to see who is in and around the first team. There has been speculation about who the stricken player might be but until there is official confirmation, it is not fair to speculate.
Hopefully the player recovers quickly and without any adverse affects to their health.
