Arsenal have withdrawn from the Florida Cup after a number of people tested positive for Covid this week.

With the Delta variant running rampant through the UK, Arsenal have been forced to withdraw from the Florida Cup after a number of cases of covid were identified in the 80-strong travelling group.

https://twitter.com/David_Ornstein/status/1417559009318645762

Earlier this week, it was rumoured that Inter Milan would be withdrawing due to their concerns about covid, however the Italians have set off on their travels.

https://twitter.com/Inter_en/status/1417479895681323018

The contract that Arsenal signed when they agreed to take part in the Florida Cup comes with financial penalties for failing to take part. It’s not clear if medical reasons will be a valid reason to exempt Arsenal from being fined, but you would think, given the situation globally, that covid-clauses would have been insisted upon.

Arsenal were due to face Inter Milan on Sunday at the Camping World Stadium in Florida. Only 47% of people are fully vaccinated in the US state and Republican governor of the state, and Trump wannabe, Ron DeSantis, suspended all local restrictions and mandates as far back as May before invalidating them permanently on 1 July.

Cases in the state, however, are up 190% over the past 14 days, with 34 deaths reported on 18 July along with 6,493 new cases.

Compare those figures to those back home, where 55% of the English public are concerned about restrictions finally being eased on 19 July as cases rise 40.7% over the past seven days.