STEVE CLARKE insists the Scotland camp is secure as it can be as the spotlight shines on international football during the second wave of Covid-19.
Clarke lost the services of Stuart Armstrong after he tested positive for the virus last week, while Kieran Tierney and Ryan Christie were then forced to self-isolate as a precaution.
Celtic have been hit hard after Odsonne Eduoard, Nir Bitton and Hatem Elhamed contracted Coronavirus whilst on national duty and are 'monitoring' the situation closely as clubs across the continent voice their concerns over their players travelling.
“Hopefully that’s what they take from it," Clarke said when asked if Celtic should be comforted by the latest negative tests with Scotland.
“Certainly what I take from it is that, although we had a little incident in camp last week, the protocol we have in place is as secure as it can be.
“You can’t say anything is going to be 100 percent secure. But it shows that the protocols we have in place are pretty decent.
“I’d just point to the fact that even though we’ve had one incident in the camp, the protocols work. It hasn’t decimated our squad, as such. It hasn’t spread right through it. That shows what we have in place is as good and robust as things can be.
“Listen, all the clubs will be nervous about it when their players go away in international duty. But they’ll also be nervous about their players in house as well. You don’t know where you’re going to pick it up, it could be anywhere.
“Somebody’s wife could be out working and bring it back into the house and then it goes into a club. It’s a virus! There’s not a lot we can do to control it. All we can do is try the best we can to limit its spread.”
FIFA regulations require clubs to release players for international duty at present but the ongoing pandemic could see that issue come to a head as clubs and national associations fight their respective corners.
But Clarke is confident the players he selects will be allowed to report for Scotland duty going forward.
He said: “I don’t think they’re able to do that, as far as I'm aware, unless there’s a quarantine issue when the player goes to a country or comes into a country.
"So the fact that we can put together the bubble that everyone speaks about in camp, I don’t think they’ve got grounds to stop players coming.”
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