Ross McCrorie was tending to his lawn when he received the shock news.
A call from head physio Bobby Bacic last month revealed he was the fifth Pompey player to test positive for coronavirus.
But, like many others who have Covid-19, he was asymptomatic and so the message came as a surprise.
Now back home in his native Scotland with twin brother Robby, McCrorie understands the importance of the current social distancing guidelines.
The versatile loanee said: “I was in the front garden cutting the grass when I got a call from Bobby and I was shocked.
“It honestly came as a total surprise to me because I wasn’t feeling bad at all at that time.
“It was alarming because I’d been with friends and family and you obviously worry about passing it on.
"It honestly came as a total surprise because I wasn’t feeling bad at all – I just had a slight cough at the time."
“We were lucky that the club got the tests for us because then I was able to self-isolate and keep away from people.
“I was on my own for a week and made sure to stay that way for a few extra days, just to be on the safe side.
“There are probably a lot more people in my position who haven’t got any symptoms because not everyone’s been tested.
“I’m fine, though, and am staying with my brother and his girlfriend, so we’ve sorted out a bit of a structure.
“Bobby and the Rangers physio have both been in touch and I’m making sure to keep fit with some workouts.
“You keep an eye on Sky Sports to see if anything is happening with the football season during these uncertain times.
“But we’ve also been watching the ‘Gordon, Gino and Fred’ show, which has just finished, as well as ‘The Last Dance’ documentary on Michael Jordan on Netflix.”
McCrorie is looking forward to the end of lockdown, but knows that it could be a while before football is allowed to resume.
He said: “Everyone wants to get back to normal, but it’s an unprecedented situation and could be at least a few weeks yet.
“The NHS are doing a fantastic job and we have to be grateful for that. We can all do our bit by staying in the house.”