RIO DE JANEIRO, June 29 (Xinhua) -- Five players from Brazilian Serie A club Athletico Paranaense have reportedly tested positive for COVID-19 as South America's biggest nation moves ahead with plans to restart football.
Those infected include five players and three members of the coaching staff - all of whom have been isolated - the Globo Esporte news portal reported on Monday, citing sources inside the club.
The tests were conducted on Saturday as Paranaense resumed training in small groups at their training base in the southern city of Curitiba.
Brazil's Serie A season is expected to start on August 8, three months later than originally planned.
All of the country's football competitions were halted in mid-March as part of efforts to contain the spread of COVID-19.
Rio de Janeiro's Carioca championship became the first state league to resume when Flamengo beat Bangu 3-0 at the Maracana stadium on June 18.
Brazil has over 1.3 million confirmed coronavirus cases, more than 58,000 of which have been fatal. Enditem
