Ross County captain Iain Vigurs insists the Staggies’ players have been left in no doubt over the scale of their responsibility to adhere to Scottish football’s Covid-19 guidelines.
Vigurs and Staggies manager Stuart Kettlewell were part of a meeting with all Premiership managers and captains held by professor Jason Leitch, Scotland’s national clinical director, on Monday.
The meeting followed breaches of the rules by eight Aberdeen players and Celtic defender Boli Bolingoli in recent weeks, which have resulted in both clubs having their next two matches postponed.
Having witnessed the public fallout from the breaches, Vigurs, whose side host Kilmarnock tonight, says the Staggies players are determined not to make headlines for the wrong reasons.
Vigurs said: “It was just hammering home the importance of what we have to do as a professional footballer and what rules we have to abide by.
“We have been given this opportunity to play football and do our job, so it was more or less just hammering that through.
“I can’t speak for any other clubs, but for us, I think the boys know what has to be done.
“The meeting was just telling us that if we abide by these rules, we’ll be able to do our job by playing football, and if we don’t, it’s going to become a sticky situation.
“No-one wants that, so at the end of the day if we don’t abide by the rules then we’re ending up ruining it for everyone.
“No player out there will intentionally shut the season down.
“I’d like to think nobody within our group would do anything outwith the rules. Especially with everything going on and so publicised, it would be kind of foolish – nobody wants to be on the front pages.
“As long as we abide by the rules in our bubble here, then we’re doing our job.”
Despite Killie’s players coming into contact with Bolingoli in their 1-1 draw against Celtic on Sunday, Vigurs insists he has no concerns about facing the Ayrshire side as long as their players test negative for the virus.
The 32-year-old added: “They’ve deemed it acceptable to play the game, so they obviously feel there’s no risk. We just have to take what we’re told is the right way to go ahead.
“If he hasn’t actually tested positive, I can’t see there being any risk at all for us with the Killie players coming up because we’re all tested.
“If anyone is positive, they would know.
“We’re not worried. We can only take on trust that every club we play follows the guidelines as in testing twice a week, which we do.
“We just go about our business unless told otherwise.”
Vigurs is eager to maintain County’s excellent start to the new campaign against Alex Dyer’s men, adding: “A good start is all it is. We haven’t won anything or done anything, it has just been two very good assured performances and two clean sheets.
“We just need to keep that going into the Kilmarnock game.”