12 Members Of The Venezuelan National Team Are Exposed To COVID-19 A Day Before Copa America Opens

Illustration (Pixabay)

JAKARTA - A total of 12 members of the Venezuelan national team contingent tested positive for COVID-19 the day before their opening match of the 2021 Copa America.

"The 12 people include players and coaching staff", the Brazilian Health Secretariat in Brasilia said in a statement, quoted by Reuters.

"All are asymptomatic and are in separate isolation under the supervision of a team from CONMEBOL and local health officials", the statement read.

The diagnosis was made by the Latin American football confederation, CONMEBOL, on Friday evening, June 11, which immediately informed local health authorities. 

Venezuela was planned to face the host and defending champions Brazil on Sunday evening at the Mane Garrincha Stadium, Brasilia, in their opening tournament match.

The oldest international tournament was attended by 10 Latin American countries and was moved at the last minute to Brazil after Argentina withdrew due to a surge in COVID-19 cases and Colombia was canceled due to a wave of social protests.

Brazil agreed to host the Copa America despite that country also hit by a spike in COVID-19 cases. At least 484.235 people in Brazil have died from COVID-19, the world's second-highest number after the United States, after 2.216 more died on Friday.