MONTEVIDEO, Uruguay (AP) Uruguay’s team director says “we have no qualms” about playing a World Cup qualifier next month in Recife, Brazil, the city at the center of the outbreak of the Zika virus.
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Uruguay will face Brazil on March 24 in the northeastern city.
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Eduardo Belza, the team’s sports director, says players have been told to “to use mosquito repellents, bring long-sleeve shirts and avoid being out in the early morning or evening” when mosquitoes are more prevalent.
Belza says he’s already been to Recife and chosen a hotel with tightly sealed windows “and a ventilation system that keeps insects out of the building.”
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Brazil’s neighbor Uruguay has yet to register a case of Zika, a spreading virus that has been linked to birth defects.