The chronology of the Dudamel positive that complicates the U

Frantic. This is how Rafael Dudamel’s first hours in Chile can be summarized as the brand new coach of the U. In 12 hours, the Venezuelan went from believing that he would formally start his work in the blues, to having to lock himself up for testing positive for Covid-19. From being able to meet their new clients face to face, to only knowing the walls of their sanitary residence, which will be their home for at least the next 11 days.

The Latam plane that brought the Llanero from Bogotá landed at 06:33 this Tuesday morning at the Arturo Merino Benítez airport. Once there, the former coach of Atlético Mineiro exhibited the result of his recent PCR test done in Colombia and that, having a negative result with a maximum of 72 hours old and after submitting the request, the Chilean sanitary regulations allowed him not to reach quarantine.

Once he filled out the required paperwork and was able to formally enter the country, he addressed the various media outlets there. Coordinators from the U were also waiting for the former goalkeeper, as well as a part of the club’s communications team, which was there to record everything on video.

At 09:01:59 hours, as reflected in the results of the U of the new PCR test which was done at the Universidad de Los Andes Clinic, to which La Tercera PM had access and which is at the end of this text, Dudamel took the sample, which, according to the minutes, was received by the clinical laboratory at 09:58:43. In parallel, Reinaldo Lenis, blue reinforcement, and Daniel Azcárate, Dudamel’s intermediary who came on the same flight, had also had their PCR done.

But, why did the coach undergo a new PCR if he was already coming from Colombia with a negative result no more than 72 hours old? In the U they say that it could not have been done to them, but that their internal protocol is endorsed by the Minsal and therefore they assume it as a self-imposed requirement. They say, in fact, that all the PCRs that they do in the club immediately upload them to the Epivigilia system, something that they assure not all the Chilean soccer institutions do.

At the time of reception of the sample, Dudamel was already at the CDA, where he met with part of the board (the president Cristián Aubert and the sports directors Sergio Vargas and Rodrigo Goldberg), as well as the general manager Ignacio Asenjo and the head of security of the institution.

In fact, from the dome of the blues they say that with the directors he maintained a distance, although, as they explain, they preferred to exaggerate and that is why all those who were in contact with the technician have been in preventive quarantine since yesterday.

He also met the campus, although from afar, at a distance and with a mask. This is because, as they reiterate from the secular club, their internal protocols are strict and despite the negative PCR that he brought from Colombia, they only allow Dudamel to work with a negative PCR made in Chile. This, they add from the club, prevents infections from being generated. Therefore, although they insist that the DT went to the CDA only to a meeting and not to assume functions, they confess that perhaps they could wait a little for that appointment. At least until having the result of the PCR done on national soil.

This is because according to the same document from the laboratory of the U Andes clinic, the result of the PCR performed in the morning was validated at 17:14:54 yesterday. A few minutes later, the medical body of the U first and then Dudamel and Azul Azul, learned of the positive for Covid, which was officially communicated by the club at 8:34 p.m. There the U already knew that Lenis, the blue reinforcement that came on the same flight, had tested negative.

Still waiting for the traceability requested by the U and to be carried out by the Metropolitan Health Seremi (and which will include all the people who came on that flight), the club adopted the measure of leaving all probable contacts in preventive quarantine narrow, which according to them were the members of the aforementioned board and some administrative staff.

“The medical team complied with the ANFP protocol in full and thanks to this we avoided an outbreak. This is very important to stand out, because the tendency in the country and in football is to relax the measures because they are considered exaggerated. The U has not had positive Covid cases since the beginning. It’s for a reason, ”he says to The Third PM Fernando Radice, head of the blues’ medical area.

Radice explains that the squad was not considered close contact because Dudamel only greeted them from a distance and that no one who was with the DT later shared space with the players. “The campus has its training and circulation area isolated from the administrative area by previous protocols,” he says. Anyway, tomorrow the players have their routine PCR check before a match.

Now Dudamel is in a nursing home. It should be there for at least 11 days. And while, Marcelo Jara and his staff will continue to command the first team. They will lead, in fact, the weekend against Wanderers and until the absence of the Venezuelan lasts, who will not be able to lead transcendental matches of the Blues, such as against the Caturros or Unión La Calera. It is expected that he will be present for the confrontation against Everton and the following week the students face the Universidad Católica, in the Nacional.

Anyway, from the Chuncho bunker they say that since last Saturday the strategist is already in constant contact with the interim coaching staff and that they are working on alternatives so that Dudamel can communicate with the group of footballers and begin to download his message from some shape.

As a consolation, the situation for the Blues should improve a bit this weekend, when all the members of Dudamel’s coaching staff land in Chile from Brazil. There they could get to work directly with the team and make the DT’s job a little easier. This, of course, if your PCR is negative.