A public health investigation has reportedly been launched at the Nou Camp after a worker at Barcelona’s stadium was diagnosed with tuberculosis.
The Barcelona based newspaper El Pais reported that the Barcelona Public Health Agency (ASPB) is investigating a potential outbreak.
The investigation comes after an employee working on the renovation of the 105,000-capacity venue had experienced symptoms consistent with tuberculosis.
Symptoms of the infection typically include a persistent cough, fever, weight loss and fatigue.
The worker underwent medical tests which confirmed the illness.
According to El Pais, the ASPB has completed contact tracing on the employee with 23 people having been tested.
Three workers are reportedly awaiting test results to confirm whether they have the illness.
The ASPB will only confirm an outbreak if two related cases of the illness are confirmed.
The bacterial infection is spread through inhaling tiny droplets from the coughs or sneezes of an infected person.
Tuberculosis mainly affects the lungs but can impact any part of the body, including the glands, bones and nervous system.
The infection can usually be cured with most people requiring a course of antibiotics, usually for six months.
The investigation comes just days before Barcelona plan to hold an open training session at the Nou Camp in preparation for their long-awaited return to the stadium.
Barcelona announced on Wednesday that tickets have been sold out for the training session, with capacity having been capped at 23,000.
The Catalan giants stated that the session will help serve as a technical and operational test to ensure the proper functioning of systems, access points, and various aspects of the facility, as part of the stadium’s gradual reopening process.
Fans will be situated in the stadium’s Main Stand and Gol Sud areas.
Barcelona are yet to confirm when they plan to hold their first match back at the Nou Camp, although reports have claimed the club are targeting a LaLiga clash against Athletic Club on November 22, which would be held with a much-reduced capacity.
The £1.25billion redevelopment of the famous stadium has already suffered multiple delays, with the club having originally scheduled a return last November.
Revised deadlines of February and May this year also slipped. Their plan to stage the Joan Gamper Trophy at the Nou Camp in August was also abandoned.
Further delays have occurred with the club having failed to secure the required licence from the city council.
Barcelona have largely played at the Olympic Stadium in the city amid the delays, while a match against Valencia took place at the tiny Estadi Johan Cruyff, which holds just 6,000 fans.
The Nou Camp works, which began in 2023, are aimed at increasing capacity to 105,000 while adding new corporate facilities and a roof.
Until construction is complete in 2026, the Nou Camp will operate at a reduced capacity of around 50,000 to 60,000.
Protests were also held outside the stadium on Tuesday by the workers union, the Confederation Syndicate of Labour Commissions.
The group had alleged construction companies involved in the project have fired 50 workers who do not have ‘legal papers’ and ‘intend to send them back to their country without any guarantees.’
‘They’ve been working twelve hours a day, seven days a week, for over a year in some cases,’ said Carlos del Barrio, head of Union Action for CCOO del Habitat in Catalonia, told Spanish news agency EFE.
Barcelona has stated that it ‘maintains constant collaboration with Limak [the Turkish construction company] to guarantee absolute respect for labor rights and compliance with current legislation in all phases of the project.’
