Real Madrid team put in quarantine, Spanish league stops

A picture shows the Real Madrid logo at the Spanish club’s training facilities of Valdebebas in Madrid on March 20, 2019. (Photo by BENJAMIN CREMEL / AFP)

BARCELONA, Spain—Real Madrid’s soccer and basketball teams were put in quarantine on Thursday after one of the club’s basketball players tested positive for the coronavirus.

The Spanish club said that its soccer team was affected because it shares training facilities with the basketball team.

The decision by the club came moments before the Spanish league said the next two rounds of the top two soccer divisions will be suspended because of outbreak. The league said in a statement that it had taken the decision after becoming aware of “the quarantine established in Real Madrid and the possible cases in players from other clubs,” without mentioning those suspected cases.

No player from a Spanish soccer team has been reported to have the virus.

Italian club Juventus said Wednesday that defender Daniele Rugani and “those who have had contact with him” are being isolated after he tested positive for the virus.

The Spanish league added that the suspension of play will be “re-evaluated after the completion of the quarantines decreed in the affected clubs and other possible situations that may arise.”

Madrid was scheduled to host Eibar on Friday, a game that would have been played without spectators on government order.

The club also said that it is closing its training center and that it has recommended all its staff who work at the center to remain in isolation.

For most people, the virus causes only mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia. The vast majority of people recover.

The Spanish government had already announced this week that all major sporting events in the country would be held without spectators as the southern European nation grapples to control an outbreak that has paralyzed Italy, where all retail establishments except for pharmacies and supermarkets have been closed.

Spanish state broadcaster TVE says the country has 2,600 virus infections and 63 resulting deaths, more than half of those in Madrid.

The World Health Organization labeled COVID-19 a pandemic, citing its alarming spread and severity. It has infected over 120,000 people worldwide and caused over 4,000 deaths.

Valencia’s Champions League match against Atalanta on Tuesday was played without spectators, and two Europa League matches involving Spanish and Italian teams have been postponed.