Spanish league says 5 players tested positive

A woman wearing a protective mask walks past Real Madrid’s Santiago Bernabeu stadium in Madrid, Spain, Friday, March 13, 2020. Real Madrid have said its players were being placed in isolation after one of the club’s basketball players, who share facilities with Madrid’s soccer players, tested positive for the COVID-19 coronavirus. That led to the instant decision by the Spanish league to bring matches to a halt for the next two rounds. For most people, the new coronavirus causes only mild or moderate symptoms. For some it can cause more severe illness, especially in older adults and people with existing health problems. (AP Photo/Paul White)

The Spanish league says five players from clubs in the country’s first and second divisions have tested positive for COVID-19.

They are all without symptoms and will be allowed to start practicing after testing negative in further testing. They will need two negative results to be allowed to come back.

The league has not named the players who tested positive. It also hasn’t disclosed their clubs.

Spain this week started loosening some of the lockdown measures that had been in place since mid-March because of the coronavirus pandemic, allowing soccer players to resume training individually.

Most teams returned to action on Friday, including league leader Barcelona. Atlético Madrid resumed its activities on Saturday and Real Madrid players will be back practicing on Monday.

Spanish media has reported that Atlético Madrid defender Renan Lodi was among the players who tested positive. He did not practice on Saturday.