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Celtic waiting on lunchtime Government decision on Hibs match

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Image for Celtic waiting on lunchtime Government decision on Hibs match

A report in the Daily Record claims that Celtic will have to wait until lunchtime to find out if their first team squad will have to self-isolate.

Last night the Scottish Government added Dubai to the quarantine list with arrivals from the UAE having to self-isolate for 10 days, in an unusual step the decision applies retrospectively to January 3.

Anyone arriving from Dubai last week could go about under normal protocols- able to visit supermarkets or undergo essential work away from their home but now they have to self-isolate.

At first the message seemed to be that elite athletes were exempt from that ruling but now the Daily Record has revealed that no decision has yet been made.

Celtic are awaiting the all clear from the Scottish Government after a series of self-isolation rules concerning travellers re-entering the country from Dubai. The Scottish Government has instructed all arrivals from the Emirati city to self-isolate for 10 days after arriving back in the country.

And the order is retroactively being applied to all arrivals since January 3, though that part would be a voluntary action. That would include Neil Lennon and the entirety of the Parkhead backroom team and playing squad, who touched down in Glasgow on January 8.

But the Government has stated sportspeople are exempt from the new rules as long as they were in the Gulf country to attend “elite training”. However, it’s reported there has been “no decision” yet on whether Lennon’s side qualify under that bracket, after the club announced on Sunday afternoon that a member of the first-team playing squad tested positive for the virus.

A decision is expected possibly around lunchtime on Monday with the champions set to face Hibs that night before their home Scottish Premiership match against Livingston on Saturday.

On Sunday afternoon Celtic announced through Twitter one positive test result but there were no further details and nothing on the club website.

Relations between the football authorities and Scottish Government have been frosty in recent months with Scottish Tory leader Douglas Ross highly critical of the lack of financial support to the national sport. Ross is a regular assistant referee, with nine Glasgow weekend appointments so far this season.

On Tuesday Nicola Sturgeon said that there were questions to be answered over Celtic’s trip to Dubai.

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