Premier League clubs placed in Tier 4 will be subject to additional COVID-19 testing, reports state.
Boris Johnson announced on Saturday that London and parts of the south-east and east of England will be entered into a new Tier 4 due to rising coronavirus numbers.
As a result, the Premier League will test any clubs in Tier 4 every 72 hours as an “additional precaution” after the Christmas period.
Clubs are currently tested once per week since the start of the 2020/21 season on behalf of the Premier League, although some clubs have opted to pay for additional testing, whilst clubs in European competitions are also covered by UEFA.
Newcastle United were one club to require additional tests following the outbreak of COVID-19 that saw their fixture against Aston Villa postponed.
Clubs were initially tested once every 72 hours after the Premier League restart in June and those in Tier 4 will now return to these measures to ensure safety across all fixtures.
High levels in testing after the first lockdown proved successful and the Premier League are hopeful these further measures can help to reduce the spread of the virus across their clubs.
In the Championship, Millwall and Rotherham United saw their fixtures postponed after an outbreak within their team bubbles saw several players and coaching staff showing symptoms.
Meanwhile, several League One clubs have also had games postponed after COVID-19 outbreaks, including Bristol Rovers, Sunderland and Ipswich Town.
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