1. Cape Town City star Thabo Nodada
“Having tested positive, I can testify that this virus is no joke. It has swept the globe in a nasty way and we are going to feel the effects of it for years to come.
“I felt slightly weaker than normal, it wasn’t a great feeling. Not having a sense of taste and smell is a scary thing. Having to deal with all of that in isolation makes things even worse.
“The results of Covid have been evident in my daily life. I have been affected as well as family who work in different industries, so I know it’s not just us in the football fraternity. For us, it has taken our support base away. We miss seeing blue in the stands, we miss hearing them.”
2. Sharks coach Sean Everitt
“It was a Christmas with a difference and one I will never forget ... I tested positive for Covid towards the end of December, after the usual weekly round of tests had taken place at Jonsson Kings Park. All players plus admin staff at the union did the weekly test, about 90 people. I had my sister visiting at the time and it was frustrating to be marooned in the bedroom of my home on Christmas Day, with food left for me at the door.
“Three tests said I was positive but I felt no symptoms. I would be sitting there wondering when the bullets would start flying.
“You start imagining there is a headache coming on. ‘This is it ...’ I thought, but then it would pass.
“And then we had the Currie Cup game against the Cheetahs in Bloemfontein and it was a challenge to coach that week from my bedroom.
“Being isolated from my family and my team led to serious introspection.”
3. Proteas star Heinrich Klaasen
“It was a tough two months since I tested positive. Over the first 16 to 17 days I couldn’t really do anything. I was very sick.
“The problem came with the fact that I could not start exercising. Or when I could start exercising again, I could not run 20-30m, or do anything for two or three minutes without my heart rate going up too high. There are protocols that I had to follow to build my workloads up, but I couldn’t even stick with that programme. So it took me a long time to get my heart rate under control to allow me to exercise a little bit, to get to that initial stage of fitness.
“It was mentally very difficult to just sit at home for two months. Later I had a weekend in the bush where I could get away from it all.”
4. Bulls coach Jake White
“It really did knock me down. Like anyone else, you get a sore throat, then you get tired and you get headaches.
“Your eyes get sore. “Unless you’ve actually gone through it, you don’t realise the dangers of it. I was thinking the last thing I need is for this thing to get out of hand – what happens if you don’t have oxygen?
“What happens if you do get really sick? It’s not a pleasant place to be. I’ve gained perspective. I’ve lost a friend, the headmaster of Drostdy School (Arthur Underhay) has died. Arthob Petersen has passed away. When I was lying in bed, I saw this thing is now serious.
“It’s not child’s play.”