Bournemouth backtracks on suspending some staff

By Emre Asikci

ANKARA (AA) - English Premier League football club Bournemouth announced Tuesday that it has reversed its decision to suspend some non-playing staff amid the coronavirus outbreak.

It cited pressure from its supporters as part of the reason for its change of heart.

“Earlier this month, we announced that a number of staff at AFC Bournemouth were being temporarily furloughed and that we would utilize the Government’s Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme,” the club said on its website.

"These measures were not taken lightly, given the operational pressures placed on clubs in such uncertain times.

"We have listened to our supporters and have reversed our decision to furlough these employees," it said.

Bournemouth said they were also aware of the criticism being leveled at Premier League clubs applying for the retention scheme.

At least 778 people in the U.K. who tested positive for the novel coronavirus died in the past 24 hours, bringing the death toll to 12,129, with confirmed cases totaling 94,845.

More than 1.96 million COVID-19 cases have been reported in 185 countries and regions since the virus emerged in Wuhan, China last December, with Europe and the U.S. being the worst-hit areas.

Over 125,000 people have died worldwide and nearly 472,000 have recovered, according to figures compiled by Johns Hopkins University in the U.S.