UK government considering potential return of spectators to matches

The government in the United Kingdom is considering plans that will see a return of spectators to sports venues in parts of England from as early as December.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson reportedly told Members of Parliament on Monday that reopening stadia as soon as possible was high on his priorities.

The country’s Department for Digital, Culture, Media,and Sport is working to pave the way for a return of fans to stadia, possibly before Christmas in areas that have reported sufficiently low cases of coronavirus infections.

Having been devoid of spectators since March, the Premier League, along with other sports had previously been told to wait until at least April next year to have spectators back.

The government said in a statement on Tuesday that it had held talks with football administrators on the possible return of spectators amid issues such as government reforms, greater diversity and financial sustainability.

Back in October however, plans for a return of fans for the first time since March were abolished as a result of an increase in the spread of Covid-19.

Despite sports organisers insisting that pilot event tailored to fit Covid-19 regulations have been achieved successfully, sports venues have remained closed.

Controversially, arts venues such as the O2 Arena and the Royal Albert Hall in London have been cleared to go ahead with events set to accommodate up to 5,000 people from next month, leading to accusations of favouritism and inconsistency from the sports industry

A parliamentary debate on the issue was held last week but the government was reluctant to mention its projections for a return of fans to sports venues in England. In reaction to this, about 200,000 people have signed petitions calling for a return of fans.

Despite the cravings of people in the sports industry, there are fears that allowing fans back will increase the spread of the virus.

“Everyone’s saying, ‘can I get back to my stadium?‘” Sports Minister Nigel Huddleston said last week.

“You times that by multiple levels, leagues and sports, and all of a sudden we’ve got a whole scale far beyond what is acceptable at this moment in time.”

However, in what will come as a major boost to sports fans and administrators alike, there now seems to have been a shift in approach.