Earlier today, the DFL announced new quarantine measures that will be put in place for Bundesliga and 2. Bundesliga teams. Bayern Munich has come out in support of the protocols with their own statement as well.
Per the DFL’s release:
Two steps are planned: firstly, the group of persons included in the regular PCR testing program, comprising the professional team, coaching team and team officials, must stay solely in their home environment or on the training premises/in the stadium (“quasi quarantine”) from Monday, 3 May. This is intended to reduce contact and further minimize the infection risk and was successfully implemented in the final phase of last season after the resumption of match operations.
In the next step, from Wednesday, 12 May, the corresponding group of persons at all 36 clubs will enter a “quarantine training camp”, having undergone a PCR test with a negative result no more than 24 hours beforehand. The “quarantine training camp” is compulsory until the end of the final match of the respective club on Matchday 34 (22/23 May). Consequently, the last two matchdays of the Bundesliga and Bundesliga 2 according to the fixture list fall within this specific period.
The purpose of the “quarantine training camps” is to provide extra safeguards for the staging of matches, particularly in view of the time pressure caused by UEFA EURO, which follows the regular season. It is the clubs’ responsibility to ensure that players, coaches and training staff come into contact with no one but each other during the stated period. All requirements of the medical and hygiene-related concept remain unchanged. If individuals such as team doctors have to temporarily leave the “quarantine training camp” in exceptional cases on account of particular professional duties, they may only return to the group of persons if they take further protective measures, including a negative antigen rapid test immediately before returning.
Bayern Munich’s official statement supports the measures:
The DFL executive committee decided on Thursday on two-stage quarantine measures for the two highest tiers of German football in order to provide additional security for the operation of the games, especially in view of the time pressure incurred by the UEFA EUROs Championship immediately following the season.
FC Bayern deputy chairman Jan-Christian Dreesen said: “FC Bayern welcomes the DFL’s decision that all 36 German professional clubs will have a quarantined training environment. This creates another important buffer for safeguarding match operations in the first and second tier. Health must always come first.”
According to the decision, the group of people included in the regular PCR testing programme around the team, the coaching staff and the team support must stay exclusively at home or on the training ground, or in the stadium (“quasi-quarantine”) in order to reduce contact and further minimise the risk of infection spreading from Monday, 3 May. Subsequently, from Wednesday, 12 May, the corresponding group of people from all 36 clubs will go to a “quarantine training camp” after a PCR negative test result has been carried out at the earliest 24 hours beforehand. The “quarantine training camp” is compulsory until the end of a club’s respective match on MD34 (22/23 May).
After Hertha Berlin’s insane bad luck with COVID-19 exposures, the DFL needed to do something to ensure the season will end on time.