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Chelsea star reveals angst of separation from children due to coronavirus

Chelsea winger Pedro admits he is finding it hard separated from his children due to the coronavirus lockdown.

Pedro's kids are back in Spain and the 32-year-old is unable to go home to see his family because of the travel restrictions imposed around the pandemic.

The Spaniard has remained in England and the separation has been an unsettling experience.

"It's hard not to be seeing your children, your parents, your siblings, not having them close by at a complicated, difficult time for us all," Pedro told Chelsea's official website.

"We are in permanent contact on the phone, keeping in touch about what we are up to in isolation and trying to be as close as possible.

"Of course, we would have liked to be there but for safety reasons that isn't possible so for now we are going to stay where we are and try to get through it as best we can."

The Premier League remains suspended until 30 April, but that date could be extended as the spread of the virus remains a major concern.

Pedro is helping the community effort in Spain through his own foundation, while the Blues' senior squad has made a sizeable donation to the Chelsea Foundation to help those in need in west London.

Pedro has kept in contact with several of his Spanish Chelsea team-mates.

"It's a very delicate, complex situation; a critical situation because there have been lots of cases of infection, especially in Madrid and Catalonia, which are probably the most affected regions, but now it has spread across the country," Pedro said.

"They are in total lockdown in their houses so they are living through a crisis situation. It's also an economic crisis, of course, but at the moment that is secondary. The most important thing is that people stay at home with their family.

"The police and army are on the streets and the situation is maybe more controlled than here in the UK but we are living in a situation of chaos and crisis because of this pandemic.

"I've been on the phone to Kepa (Arrizabalaga) and Marcos Alonso. I've also called Jordi Alba from Barcelona. I'm in touch with other players too, to see how they are handling the situation, with players who are alone, which can sometimes be difficult.

"These are tough times and we are in constant contact. I'm also speaking a lot to Azpi (Cesar Azpilicueta)."

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