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The facility will undergo a deep cleaning on Thursday, after which the club will assess the situation
Arsenal confirmed that the club closed its Hale End Academy after a staff member tested positive for Covid-19.
The club said the positive result came at 5 p.m. Wednesday and the person immediately left for isolation, with six other staff members also going into quarantine.
The academy will be closed Thursday for a deep cleaning, after which the club said they would review their options.
“We can confirm that a staff member at our Hale End Academy has tested positive for Covid-19,” Arsenal said in a statement. “The positive test result came in today at 5pm and the staff member immediately left the site to self-isolate. As a consequence, another six staff members are now self-isolated and we have started tracking and tracing the entire site.
“We are working through our CCTV and on-site attendance records to continue the track and trace process.
“Our Hale End Academy will now be closed on Thursday October 8 for a deep cleaning. After Thursday, we will review our training plans at Hale End accordingly and keep all staff, parents and young players fully informed.
“The health and safety of everyone at all of our sites is our primary concern. No member of our first men’s or women’s team has been affected.”
The Hale End Academy is the club’s youth facility for ages nine to 16, and is separate from Arsenal’s senior base in London Colney.
The news came on the same day that Arsenal’s left-back Kieran Tierney was forced into a 14-day period of self-isolation after coming into contact with Scottish midfielder Stuart Armstrong, who tested positive for Covid-19.
Tierney, who appears to be missing Scotland’s next three games as well as Arsenal’s Premier League game in Manchester City on October 17, has expressed frustration at his circumstance, saying he has followed social distancing guidelines.
“I am very disappointed and frustrated to be in this situation,” Tierney said in a statement issued by Arsenal.
“I have followed all the rules and made sure to distance myself socially from my colleagues in the hotel. I have also tested negative. I know Arsenal and the SFA [Scottish Football Association] they are now in talks with the Scottish authorities to gain a better understanding. “
