Coronavirus: Here's what happened in the sports world on Sunday

The latest on how the coronavirus outbreak is affecting sports around the globe:

• Positive tests in Spanish soccer after lockdown measures loosened
• French Open minus fans could happen in September
• Toronto FC cleared for workouts while Montreal remains in wait mode
• Premier League players worried about resuming amid pandemic
• All-Czech Republic tennis tournament set to take place in Prague
• Coronavirus antibodies low among MLB employees
• Tennis courts, golf courses to reopen in England
• 3rd Brighton soccer player contracts virus
• German soccer league could be blueprint for NFL

Spanish league says 5 players tested positive

The Spanish league says five players from clubs in the country's first and second divisions have tested positive for COVID-19.

They are all without symptoms and will be allowed to start practising after testing negative in further testing. They will need two negative results to be allowed to come back.

The league has not named the players who tested positive. It also hasn't disclosed their clubs.

Spain this week started loosening some of the lockdown measures that had been in place since mid-March because of the coronavirus pandemic, allowing soccer players to resume training individually.

Most teams returned to action on Friday, including league leader Barcelona. Atletico Madrid resumed its activities on Saturday and Real Madrid players will be back practising on Monday.

French Open may be held without fans

The president of the French Tennis Federation says holding the French Open without fans later this year is an option.

The clay-court tournament at Roland Garros was initially slated to be held May 24-June 7, but was postponed amid the coronavirus pandemic and rescheduled for Sept. 20-Oct. 4.

Bernard Giudicelli tells French newspaper Le Journal du Dimanche that "organizing it without fans would allow a part of the economy to keep turning, [like] television rights and partnerships. It's not to be overlooked."

Giudicelli adds that "the lack of visibility is genuine" when hosting a tournament without fans but "we are not ruling any option out."

That could potentially mean moving the starting date back to Sept. 27, something Giudicelli says "does not change much."

Canadian MLS teams on separate timetables for return

Two MLS teams in Canada will be on separate timetables when it comes to returning from hiatus as Toronto FC was allowed to begin individual player training Monday, while the Montreal Impact remain in wait mode.

The Ontario provincial government enacted an emergency order allowing all professional sports teams to begin workouts at team facilities. The order covers teams from the NHL, MLB, MLS and CFL.

Montreal's regional department of health has elected to not follow Ontario's lead.

A handful of teams have already returned to individual training, including Atlanta United FC, Orlando City SC, Inter Miami, Portland Timbers, Houston Dynamo and Sporting Kansas City.

Individual workouts on outdoor team training fields are voluntary.

Players concerned about Premier League restart

Players have genuine concerns about their health as the Premier League considers resuming fixtures amid the COVID-19 pandemic, players' union deputy chief Bobby Barnes has said.

The league's "Project Restart" envisages a return to play in June at neutral venues, once given the green light from the government, but players are worried about transmission when sharing the pitch with others in a contact sport.

A British government study said black people are nearly twice as likely to die from COVID-19 than whites and Barnes said young black players were apprehensive.

"There are players who have voiced genuine concerns," the Professional Footballers Association's Barnes told the Times.

Kvitova, Pliskova competing in all-Czech tennis tournament

Two-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova and World No. 3 Karolina Pliskova are among the players who will compete in an all-Czech Republic tournament in Prague on May 26-28.

The tournament comes at a time when the WTA and ATP tours have been shut down since March 8 due to the coronavirus pandemic. There will also be a men's event.

"This is the first event the Czech Tennis Association (CTS) has prepared for players at a time when they can't travel because of the pandemic," tournament spokesman Karel Tejkal said in a statement.

Also in the women's field is 26th-ranked Karolina Muchova, 31st-ranked Barbora Strycova and 69th-ranked Kristyna Pliskova, the twin sister of Karolina Pliskova.

"I'm looking forward to playing a tournament after a long time," Kvitova said. "I'm really curious about the shape we'll be in without playing any tournaments."

Under 1% of MLB employees test positive for antibodies

Just 0.7% of Major League Baseball employees tested positive for antibodies to COVID-19, the illness caused by the new coronavirus.

The small number of positive tests, announced Sunday, was positive news for a sport pushing ahead with plans to start its delayed season.

Researchers received 6,237 completed surveys from employees of 26 clubs. That led to 5,754 samples obtained in the U.S. on April 14 and 15 and 5,603 records that were used. The survey kit had a 0.5% false positive rate.

Dr. Jay Bhattacharya of Stanford, one of the study's leaders, said the prevalence of the antibodies among MLB employees was lower than for the general population during testing in New York, Los Angeles, the San Francisco area and Miami.

Tennis courts, golf courses to reopen in England

The British government says tennis courts and golf courses in England can reopen from Wednesday, although people can only play with members of their own household.

The sports venues were ordered to be closed in March when Britain imposed a national lockdown due to the coronavirus outbreak.

Gyms and swimming pools remain closed, although swimming in the sea or lakes will be allowed.

Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland can set their own stance on tennis courts and golf courses, and their administrations have already indicated a more stringent version of the lockdown will be maintained.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson gave no indication when professional sports can resume after competitions, including the Premier League, shut down in March.

Another Brighton player tests positive

A Brighton player has tested positive for the coronavirus as the Premier League pushes ahead with plans to resume during the pandemic.

The southern England club says there is no need for other members of the squad or coaches to self-isolate because players have only trained in isolation when at the training ground. The positive test came back on Saturday.

Brighton says three players have now had the coronavirus. The club announced one case in March.

Premier League clubs are due to hold a conference call on Monday about Project Restart. Clubs are yet to resume group training as they abide by government social distancing regulations.

Brighton has opposed plans to complete the season in neutral stadiums rather than being able to play its five remaining home games at its stadium.

NFL paying close attention to other league restarts

The National Football League has time on its side as the sports world prepares to emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic and will use some it to observe German soccer's Bundesliga as a potential blueprint on how to deal with the outbreak.

The NFL, which is due to kick off on Sept. 10 and has not yet seen its schedule affected by the novel coronavirus, is paying close attention to protocols other leagues, particularly the Bundesliga, are putting in place in a bid to restart play, according to a report in Newsday.

The top-flight Bundesliga season will restart on May 16, making it the first European league to resume amid the pandemic. Germany's top flight will resume under strict health protocols, with no fans allowed in stadiums.

All teams have had to go into a seven-day training camp in complete isolation with players tested before their inclusion in the camps to reduce the risk of any infection.

About 300 people, including players, staff and officials, will be in and around the stadiums during matchdays.