Albion defender Bernardo has spoken of his relief after his parents in Brazil tested negative for the coronavirus.
There have been 647 cases in the country with seven deaths so far and the Albion defender revealed that both his parents been tested after meeting friends who had just returned from a trip to Italy, where there have been more coronavirus deaths than anywhere else in the world.
He said, “They are both okay and healthy but some friends of their came over to Brazil from Italy and stayed with them for a week then they went back.
“Then my mum Irene started to feel ill and everyone was paranoid. She went to a hospital in Sao Paulo and paid for a test, and thankfully it was negative, and my father Bernardo was tested and he was negative, but it was a scare.
“I call my mum every single day. That has not changed. But these days we are talking just about the virus.
“The worry is that they live in Sao Paulo, where there are half of all the cases in Brazil. So actually, the worst place in the country to be. It is the most international city, full of people.
“I am a bit worried about them for sure. The government is telling people to stay at home so that is what people are doing, but we know this is a dangerous time because the virus can spread so quickly.
“[TV show] Big Brother is on there at the moment and they have told people in the house and they had a whole episode showing people what they should do to stay safe, washing their hands and everything.”
Closer to home, like every other member of the squad Bernardo is working to a fitness programme prepared by the club’s coaching and medical staff with the training ground currently closed.
He added, “We need to stay fit. Each one of us have to do whatever we feel comfortable with. Some still like to go out and run or use the gym. I’m staying at home and trying to do some exercises for strength and fitness on a spinning bike. We are professionals, top athletes. We need to stay fit.”