The British and Irish Lions second match in South Africa is still going ahead, after the positive case in the tourists' squad.
The match was delayed by an hour after one member of management and four close contacts went into isolation on Wednesday afternoon, leading to the need for the entire squad to undergo PCR testing.
Both sides were forced to wait for the confirmation of the match going ahead in their hotel, meaning that now, both the Lions and Sharks will have to travel to the stadium, ahead of kickoff at 7pm.
This means that both sides have less than two hours to prepare for the match, during which time they also need to travel to the stadium; a journey that will take around 50 minutes.
The turmoil surrounding Wednesday's game came after the news that the Lions' match with the Bulls on Saturday has been postponed after several positive COVID-19 cases in the Bulls' squad.
Lions v Sharks goes ahead, we'll have build up on @offtheball 's social channels and OTB Sports Radio from 6pm, live coverage on @NewstalkFM from 6.45pm
Devin Toner and @neil_treacy on commentary with @TommyBowe joining us for analysis pre game 🏉 🦁— Will O'Callaghan (@willocallaghan) July 7, 2021
South Africa is currently battling a significant third wave of Covid-19. The Springboks, who are set to play the Lions in a series of three tests from July 24th, are currently in isolation, following several positive cases in the South African side.
As it stands, the world champions' scheduled second test against Georgia has already been cancelled, as Georgia also recorded six positive cases in their side.
In a statement issued on behalf of Georgia Rugby, it was confirmed that the match was cancelled, and that further details regarding Georgia's fixture against Scotland will be announced in due course.
"It’s a huge disappointment for Georgia Rugby to have the second test in South Africa cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic," the Georgian statement said.
"We knew that this match was under doubt but still were hoping to go ahead, but with the latest results we have six positive cases in players and management as well.
"Both teams did everything possible to play this match, but unfortunately pandemic situation got worst later these days. One thing we know for sure is that we strictly followed the regulations."
Catch the full live commentary of the Lions against the Sharks on OTB Sports, as well as live pre and post match analysis throughout the British and Irish Lions series.
Read more:
South Africa in crisis | Should the Lions Tour be going ahead?
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