SEVEN Serie A players now test positive for coronavirus including Juventus, Sampdoria and Fiorentina stars as illness continues to spread throughout Italy's top flight
* Players from Juventus, Fiorentina and Sampdoria have contracted coronavirus
* Serie A has been suspended since last Tuesday in a bid to stop virus spreading
* Daniele Rugani of Juventus was the first Serie A player to test positive for virus
Seven Serie A players have now tested positive for coronavirus as the illness continues to spread throughout Italy's top flight.
Five Sampdoria players, as well as a player apiece from Juventus and Fiorentina have succumbed to the virus and must now spend time in quarantine.
Juve's Daniele Rugani was the first Serie A player to test positive and since then Omar Colley, Albin Ekdal, Antonio La Gumina, Manolo Gabbiadini, Morten Thorsby and Dusan Vlahovic have also been affected.
Juventus defender Daniele Rugani was the first Serie A player to test positive for coronavirus
Manolo Gabbiadini is one of seven Serie A players who have succumbed to the illness
The severity of the outbreak in Italy saw football suspended on March 11 by the Italian government and it appears unlikely that the game will resume in the foreseeable future.
Games had been played behind closed doors but pressure from players and the huge number of cases across the country forced the government to intervene.
At present, all staff and players from Juventus, totalling 121 people, are in isolation, including star man Cristiano Ronaldo, who is self-isolating in his homeland Madeira, where his mum is recovering from a stroke.
Ronaldo released a statement on his Twitter account on Friday urging his followers to take the necessary precautions to combat the global pandemic.
He said: 'The world is going through a difficult time and demands the utmost care and attention from everyone. Today I am not speaking to you as a footballer, but as a son, as a father, as a human being aware of the latest events that are affecting the world' Cristiano wrote this Friday on his Twitter account.
'It is important that we follow the recommendations of the WHO (World Health Organization) and those of governments on how to manage this situation. Protecting human lives is above any other interest,' he added.
'I want to send all my support to all those who have lost a loved one. My solidarity for those who are fighting the virus, such as my partner Daniele Rugani, and all my support for the incredible work that medical professionals are doing by putting his life at risk to save those of others, 'he concluded.
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