Cristiano Ronaldo will remain in his native Portugal indefinitely as he undergoes self-isolation after his Juventus teammate Daniele Rugani was confirmed as having tested positive for coronavirus.
Portuguese star Ronaldo visited his mother off the coast of mainland Portugal after she had suffered as stroke but will remain in the region rather than return to Italy, where there is a country-wide lock down as attempts are made to mitigate the spread of the deadly coronavirus.
Also on rt.com Juventus player & Ronaldo teammate Daniele Rugani tests positive for coronavirusHe will remain in quarantine after teammate Rugani tested positive for Covid-19. The two players shared a dressing room last weekend after Juventus beat Inter Milan 2-0 inside of an empty Allianz Stadium in Turin.
A picture posted to social media by Juve midfielder Miralem Pjanic shows the Juventus players, including both Rugani and Ronaldo, celebrating in close quarters following the game.
Juventus say that they have activated "all the isolation procedures required by law" for those who may have come in contact with Rugani. It was reported by Reuters that the entire Juventus squad will spend two weeks in quarantine.
"You will have read the news and that's why I want to reassure all those who are worrying about me, I'm fine," Rugani wrote on social media.
"I urge everyone to respect the rules, because this virus makes no distinctions! Let's do it for ourselves, for our loved ones and for those around us."
The team are due to face Lyon in the Champions League next Tuesday in a game which is heavily expected to be postponed by UEFA.
Also on rt.com When karma strikes back? NBA suspends season after Utah Jazz player who MOCKED coronavirus fears tests positive (VIDEO)Italy is by far the worst affected country in Europe by the coronavirus, with more than 12,000 confirmed cases and 827 deaths, by Thursday afternoon.
Italian football officials have postponed the current Serie A season and have stated that they may not be able to reschedule the current calendar of games. Options at that juncture would be to declare the table final as it is now, hold playoffs to determine final standings or simply not declare a champion for the 2019/20 season.