The EFL are set to bring in mandatory twice-weekly coronavirus testing as part of updated protocol.

Players must also arrive for training sessions already in their kit according to the update emailed to all clubs by the league.

Some players had not been tested since November, although tests were due to take place this week.

Nevertheless, the EFL feels it has no choice but to implement stricter regulations, given the increasing spread of the virus.

The measures essentially revert to steps taken upon the initial outbreak of the virus and clubs face an increased risk of being sanctioned if they are found to be in breach of the new guidelines.

Indoor facilities including changing rooms and canteens must be closed, gymnasiums and other indoor areas only used if well-ventilated, and clubs have been asked to consider using separate or multiple vehicles to travel to fixtures.

The measures come in the midst of soaring Covid-19 rates and an increasing number of postponements, with eight games across Leagues One and Two called off due to the impact of the virus in last Tuesday’s schedule alone.

While individual circumstances, including the financial implications of excess transportation, prevent the EFL presenting the new protocols as uniformly unbreachable, the PA news agency understands it will clamp down more keenly on affected clubs who are seen to have flouted its guidelines.

Each postponement for coronavirus issues is subject to an individual investigation by the league, with the potential for fines or points deductions if clubs are found not to have sufficient cause for calling off fixtures – or to have done so having contravened best practice.

Individual investigations into coronavirus postponements are yet to be concluded, but some clubs have expressed concern over the pressure to fulfil fixtures.