Strictly Come Dancing has faced calls to increase testing among the show's stars after Tom Fletcher and Amy Dowden were forced to pull out of Saturday's live show following a positive Covid test.
The duo confirmed on Sunday that they were in isolation after testing positive, and there are now concerns around whether they could have spread the virus to other stars.
While it's unclear whether bosses plan to heighten their already-stringent Covid measures, the news has faced backlash from some fans who claimed Tom and Amy have been given a 'free pass' to avoid the first elimination.
Concerns: Strictly Come Dancing has faced calls to increase testing after Tom Fletcher and Amy Dowden were forced to pull out of Saturday's live show following a positive Covid test
Already this year's Strictly stars are subject to regular Covid tests, and are required to maintain social distancing at all times during filming.
The couples have formed Covid-safe bubbles for training and performances, but are prohibited from mixing.
Tom and Amy's positive tests, a day after the first live show, has sparked questions around whether bosses will be increasing testing.
On Monday contestant Dan Walker admitted that 'it could happen to any of the contestants at any time' after Tom and Amy's positive test.
Drama: The duo confirmed on Sunday that they were in isolation after testing positive, and there are now concerns around whether they could have spread the virus to other stars
Speaking on BBC Breakfast, he said: 'Of all the places I've been in the last few months, Strictly is the strictest place in terms of following all those regulations.'
He added: 'We've all accepted that it could happen to any of us at any time. We just follow the guidelines, we social distance and wear face coverings where you can, and basically the only time we're not doing that is when we're on the telly, isn't it?'
Walker said he had spoken to Dowden at the weekend, adding: 'I had a conversation with Amy on Saturday, but she was at one end of the flight of stairs, I was at the other one, you're actively staying away from each other, that is the way it is.'
Axed: Last year Nicola Adams and Katya Jones were forced to pull out of the show after testing positive for Covid, because isolation rules meant they would have had to miss two live shows
Fellow contestant Nina Wadia said: 'We do stay in our pairs, because that's the kind of safest bubble that you have.'
Despite the reassuring news that Tom and Amy will return to compete in the third live show after completing their isolation, many furious fans have taken to Twitter to question how they have been allowed to stay on the show.
Last year contestants Nicola Adams and Katya Jones were forced to pull out of the show after testing positive for Covid, because their isolation meant they would have had to miss two weeks of filming.
Annoyed: Some furious fans have taken to Twitter to question how Tom and Amy have been allowed to stay on the show after being a given a bye into next week's live show
One wrote: 'Nicola being kicked off but Tom getting to stay another week doesn't sit right with me.'
Another added: 'Why was Nicola kicked off but Tom gets to stay despite both testing positive for Covid? Seems a bit unfair.'
A third agreed: 'Last year Katya and Nicola was kicked off #Strictly so why doesn't the same rules apply to Amy and Tom this year?'
This year the government's Covid guidelines changed, meaning anyone who tests positive is only required to isolate for 10 days, and if Tom and Amy are double vaccinated they can end their isolating in eight days if they test negative for Covid.
Thus some fans took to social media to defend bosses decision to keep Tom and Amy on the show, given they only need to miss one live show.
Clarifying: However some fans defended bosses' decision, insisting the government's Covid restrictions have changed since the last series
One wrote: 'We've had a year in between and Covid rules have changed in the UK. Also there is now a vaccine, so the wider ground rules have changed.'
A second added: 'It's very simple. Last year, isolation had to be for 14 days, so a couple would have had to miss two weeks. Now it's 10 days, so they only have to miss one, and #Strictly has always allowed a one week bye for injury/illness.'
On Sunday Tom responded to the diagnosis by pledging to return to the show 'with something special' when he and Amy have recovered.
McFly announced earlier that evening that Tom would be missing a show in Glasgow that evening because he was feeling unwell, before the BBC announced the positive result.
Shock: On Sunday Tom responded to the diagnosis by pledging to return to the show 'with something special' when he and Amy have recovered
Two out of an initial three unnamed professional dancers also remain unvaccinated, while a third is understood to have agreed to the jab amid mounting pressure from Strictly stars and Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
A show spokesman told MailOnline: 'Tom Fletcher and Amy Dowden have tested positive for Covid-19. The pair are now self-isolating separately following the latest government guidelines.
'While they will both miss Saturday's live show, Strictly Come Dancing protocols mean that all being well, they will return the following week.'
In an Instagram post, Amy confirmed she does not have any symptoms of the virus at the moment.
She wrote: 'Unfortunately Tom and I have tested positive for Covid-19, I'm not
