Argentina head coach Mario Ledesma and five further players have tested positive for COVID-19, on the day when the host for this year's Rugby Championship is due to be confirmed.
On Friday, SANZAAR will provide an update on whether New Zealand or Australia will stage the tournament, although the latter now appears more likely, starting November 7.
New Zealand has World Rugby backing, but strict travel restrictions have made things more difficult.
Pumas players testing positive for the coronavirus has cast further doubt over Argentina's participation, with the positive tests adding to the six announced last week.
"The national team carried out a new batch of PCR tests," says the Argentine Rugby Union (UAR) .
"The results of the swabs showed the appearance of positive cases of COVID-19 in some members of the staff, among them coaches Mario Ledesma, Nicolas Fernandez Miranda and Juan Martin Fernandez Lobbe."
The five players were Felipe Ezcurra,Matias Moroni, Tomas Cubelli, Matías Orlandoo and Mateo Carreras.
The UAR revealed over the weekend that six players, including first-choice winger Emiliano Boffelli, tested positive at the team's training camp last week, while loose forward Javier Oretego Desio tested positive in late August.
Squad members who have been isolated from others will continue to train, while others will have to quarantine for the time being.
On Thursday, Health Minister Chris Hipkins said NZ Rugby had "a lot to work through" if it hoped to host the Rugby Championship in November and December.
"[Teams] need to be able to keep training through their isolation period and so what sort of bubble arrangements you would put around that is one of the details, which are currently being worked through," he says.
