Barnet confirm further coronavirus case following Hartlepool United postponement

The match was postponed late on Friday night after it was confirmed that one Barnet player had tested positive for the virus.

Now, another player has tested positive for Covid-19 with a further two first players deemed to be in close contact with the infected player and deemed at ‘high risk’ of being exposed.

With Barnet still waiting on further test results on Saturday, they said it would have been ‘reckless’ to allow the match to go ahead considering it had the potential to pose a serious health risk to both sets of players and staff.

Pools were fortunately not exposed to the virus due to the postponement but the trip still cost the club financially.

And Hartlepool manager Dave Challinor was critical of how Barnet handled the situation when it came to communicating their concern.

Barnet had players tested last Wednesday but didn’t let Pools know there was any doubt of the fixture not taking place until 9:40pm on Friday evening.

The match will now be rearranged for a later date which is yet to be confirmed

Following the postponement, a statement issued on Barnet's club website read: “Currently, the Club has four players affected following two separate incidents. One player was (and continues to be) self-isolating as a result of being in close contact with a positive-testing family member.

"Separately, a second player received a positive Covid-19 test result on Friday evening.

“The positive-testing player had been in very close contact with two other members of the Barnet First Team, both of whom were then deemed at high risk of having being exposed.

"We discovered this on Friday evening and the players were tested early Saturday morning; we are now awaiting test results. Regardless of outcome, all three will now join the other player in self-isolating for the mandated period.

“The real concern is that the virus may have spread throughout the squad, but we are unable to be certain of this until we have the outcome of the two tests.

"Given results could not be provided prior to the match, it was considered reckless to allow the match to go ahead knowing that it could pose a serious and undue risk to both Barnet and Hartlepool players and staff.

“Moving forward, the situation is contingent on the awaited results. Should either test positive, the situation will need to be reassessed with the remainder of the Barnet FC playing and coaching staff likely to be required to self-isolate.

"As such, whether or not we will be able to proceed with our FA Cup tie against Leiston is also dependent on these results, and we hope to confirm either way soon.

“Finally, please note that those who purchased streaming passes will be able to use the same code for the re-arranged fixture. Details of the re-arrangement will be discussed between the Clubs and the League, and communicated to fans as soon as possible.

“May we thank you for your understanding, and we wish those players impacted a full and quick recovery.”

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