Government 'ok' for Premier League restart behind closed-doors from June 1

Government is okay to Premier League return, behind closed doors from June 1

The English Premier League could resume as the behind-closed-doors event, as early as June 1 after the Government gave the ‘go-ahead’ to restart the season.

Government unveiled a 60-page roadmap on Monday afternoon, outlining various protocols including the return of professional sport in the UK.

And, as part of the plan to ease the lockdown in the UK, PM Boris Johnson has confirmed that sport will be permitted to be broadcast from behind-closed-doors from the beginning next month at the earliest.

The Prime Minister’s lockdown easing plan, which cannot begin any earlier than June 1, the document defines they will allow “cultural and sporting events to take place behind-closed-doors for broadcast while avoiding the risk of large-scale social contact.”

The news have put an end to the speculations and rumour. The top 20 clubs met on Monday but, they are yet to comment on the development.

The return of football in June 1 will only be possible if the nation make significant progress beween today and June 1. ‘Our Plan to Rebuild: The UK Government’s Covid-19 Recovery Strategy’ says that “organisations should plan accordingly”. And then it tried to differentiate between different public places in terms of public interaction and difficulty level to control. Like, cinemas and hairdressers will be opening in step three – no earlier than July 4.

Some venues which are, by design, crowded and where it may prove difficult to enact distancing may still not be able to reopen safely at this point, or may be able to open safely only in part.
Nevertheless, the Government will wish to open as many businesses and public places as the data and information at the time allows.
In order to facilitate the fastest possible reopening of these types of higher-risk businesses and public places, the Government will carefully phase and pilot reopenings to test their ability to adopt the new COVID-19 Secure guidelines.
The Government will also monitor carefully the effects of reopening other similar establishments elsewhere in the world, as this happens.
The Government will establish a series of task forces to work closely with stakeholders in these sectors to develop ways in which they can make these businesses and public places COVID-19 Secure.
Excerpts from ‘Our Plan to Rebuild: The UK Government’s Covid-19 Recovery Strategy’

As the documents have categorised places, Page 21 of the document emphasises sports and any events to be conducted without spectators and that opening of venues such as stadium “may only be fully possible significantly later depending on the reduction in numbers of infections”.