ORLANDO, Florida – The Jamaica Reggae Boyz camp can breathe a little easier, having awakened on Friday morning to the news that that all polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests conducted on Thursday afternoon came back negative less one person. 

The player, who was found positive in two previous tests – including a rapid antigen test on Thursday – returned another positive result. 

“All the PCR tests taken on Thursday afternoon by members of the Jamaica delegation have returned negative, except for the one player who was positive before,” a release from the Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) confirmed.  

“Therefore, the coach will have 21 players at his disposal for today’s [Friday’s] game versus Guadeloupe, which starts at 6:30 pm (5:30 Jamaica time),” the release continued. 

Observer Online understands that the player in question had participated in Monday night’s 2-0 win over Suriname in the opening Group C match of the Gold Cup at Exploria Stadium. 

The player, who is said to be asymptomatic, will not be able to play in at least the next two matches. 

In response to the positive case in the camp, the JFF executive and management arms on the ground have moved swiftly in an effort to contain the situation and have executed the necessary precautionary measures. 

The first move was to isolate the player who has tested positive, and to remove his roommate from all team activities “out of an abundance of caution” even though his rapid antigen test returned a negative finding. 

Another contingency was to shake-up the rooming arrangement which paired players to a room, and in some cases, the same applied to some members of staff. 

Following checks by Observer Online on Thursday, all members of the delegation had their own accommodation at the three-star Sheraton North Hotel. 

Since arriving in Orlando, starting with a training camp ahead of the start of the Gold Cup, the delegation has been subjected to scheduled testing every couple of days. 

At the Gold Cup, a bubble has not been imposed, but the tournament is being played under what has been deemed “controlled” environments, where strict protocols are encouraged. 

At the team hotel, however, players can move around freely and share the same space with other guests. It’s common to see guests of the Sheraton North Hotel moving about or lounging on the property without masks, and generally, there is little attention to basic COVID-19 protocols. 

Curacao, the first victim to COVID-19 at the Gold Cup, were forced to withdraw after mass infections were found among players and staff. They were replaced in Group A at the 11

^th

 hour by Guatemala, who was promoted as the team with the best statistics that did qualify from the preliminary round tournament. 

Haiti, too, have had a few players testing positive for COVID-19, but they remain in the tournament as their numbers were not significant enough to impact their participation.  

— Sean Williams