Coronavirus: Bundesliga side Wolfsburg resume training
Wolfsburg returned to training on Monday, despite the coronavirus pandemic and Germany's social-distancing measures.
COVID-19 continues to disrupt sports across the globe, with the Bundesliga among the elite professional leagues postponed amid the outbreak.
There have been more than 120 deaths in Germany from at least 29,000 cases as the world tries to combat the spread of coronavirus, leading chancellor Angela Merkel to ban public meetings of more than two people.
Despite concerns in Germany and around the world, Wolfsburg resumed training in four small groups at staggered times in the gym – two hours apart to avoid each other as much as possible.
VfL returned to training on Monday in small groups and with special protective measures in place.
— VfL Wolfsburg EN (@VfLWolfsburg_EN) March 23, 2020
Training in small groups https://t.co/8TgjFALKGh#VfLWolfsburg pic.twitter.com/7qKYdNqPGQ
Rather than using the facilities at VfL-Center, Wolfsburg used four different changing rooms in the Volkswagen Arena.
"Obviously we'd all prefer to be playing football but we're aware we need to adapt to the way things are," said striker Daniel Ginczek.
"It's our job to keep ourselves fit, whether that's at home or in small groups like today. Every group had a session in the gym at different times and we worked on the legs and torso.
"The club took every conceivable precaution in terms of hygiene. The rooms at the stadium are very big and each group had its own changing room, where the players sat a long way away from each other. Everyone had their own things like towels, blackrolls and mats."
The Bundesliga is scheduled to resume after April 2, with Wolfsburg due to travel to Bayer Leverkusen two days later in a fixture that looks unlikely to be played given the situation.