LONDON • Premier League football and other forms of elite professional sport in England will be allowed to continue despite new national lockdown restrictions announced by the British government on Monday. Under Tier 5 restrictions, nearly 56 million people in England will return to a full lockdown, possibly until the middle of next month, to try to cut spiralling infection rates, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said in a televised address. The measures, which include the closure of primary and secondary schools, will come into effect today, he said after Scotland announced similar measures which came into force yesterday. However, a list of exemptions published by the United Kingdom government allows for "elite sportspeople (and their coaches if necessary, or parents/guardians if they are under 18) - or those on an official elite sports pathway - to compete and train". One key point in determining whether a sporting competition can go ahead will be if it has, as the Premier League does, a testing regime and the provision of bio-secure bubbles in place, while all matches will continue to be played behind closed doors. Before Mr Johnson's announcement, England Netball announced that its home series with Jamaica, scheduled for later this month, had been postponed because of international travel restrictions between Britain and the Caribbean island. A lockdown similar to the one introduced in England last March as a result of a rising number of Covid-19 cases means outdoor gyms, golf courses and tennis courts will close, with amateur outdoor team sports prohibited. The UK is struggling to cope with a new and faster spreading variant of Covid-19, first identified in the country last month and said to be 70 per cent more transmissible. AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
LONDON (AFP) - Premier League football and other forms of elite professional sport in England will be allowed to continue despite new national lockdown restrictions announced by the British government on Monday (Jan 4). Nearly 56 million people in England will return to a full coronavirus lockdown, possibly until mid-February, to try to cut spiralling infection rates, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said in a televised address. The measures, which include the closure of primary and secondary schools, will come into effect Wednesday, he said after Scotland announced similar measures to come into force from midnight on Tuesday (8am Singapore time). But a list of exemptions published by the British government allowed “elite sportspeople (and their coaches if necessary, or parents/guardians if they are under 18) – or those on an official elite sports pathway – to compete and train”. One key point in determining whether a sporting competition can go ahead will be if it has, as the Premier League does, a testing regime and the provision of bio-secure bubbles in place. Matches, however, will continue to be played behind closed doors. Prior to Johnson’s announcement, England Netball announced their home series with Jamaica, scheduled for late January, had been postponed because of international travel restrictions between Britain and the Caribbean island imposed as a result of the pandemic. A lockdown similar to the one introduced in England in March last year as a result of a rising number of Covid-19 cases means outdoor gyms, golf courses and tennis courts will close, with amateur outdoor team sports prohibited. Johnson’s announcement followed a statement earlier on Monday by Nicola Sturgeon, the First Minister of Scotland, that will see professional sport continuing in Scotland despite rising numbers of Covid-19 cases. Scottish football and rugby clubs are on a Scottish government exemption list that states “those involved in professional sports, for training, coaching or competing in an event” are among the groups those allowed to leave their homes. Scotland’s new lockdown will last for at least the rest of January. Sturgeon, the leader of the pro-independence Scottish National Party (SNP), said a new faster spreading variant of coronavirus, first identified in the UK in December had been a “massive blow” in the battle against the virus. Celtic row Sturgeon’s announcement came as Britain began rolling out a new Covid-19 vaccine developed by the drug manufacturer AstraZeneca and Oxford University. Meanwhile reigning Scottish football champions Celtic defended their controversial warm-weather training trip to Dubai by saying it had government approval. More on this topic Related Story England goes into new Covid-19 lockdown as cases surge Related Story Coronavirus microsite: Get latest updates, videos and graphics The Hoops flew to the Middle East on Saturday following a derby defeat by Rangers that left them a huge 19 points adrift of their arch Glasgow rivals in the race for the Scottish Premiership title. The Scottish government responded by calling for a Scottish Football Association investigation into whether Celtic had breached coronavirus exemptions. But, in a series of tweets issued Monday, Celtic defended their position by saying: “If the club had not received Scottish Government approval then we would not have travelled.” Related Stories: Related Story Covid-19 rapid testing cost drops from $80 to under $50 per person Related Story Covid-19 vaccines should protect against new UK strain: Gan Kim Yong Related Story Student Covid-19 cases show precautions still needed: Lawrence Wong Related Story Coronavirus microsite: Get latest updates, videos and graphics Related Story KTV outlets may now opt to be exempted from Covid-19 test Related Story More Covid-19 vaccines to arrive in S'pore soon, including those by Moderna, Sinovac Related Story 6-year-old girl who arrived from India among 24 new Covid-19 cases in S'pore Related Story Prior bookings will be required before Covid-19 vaccination: Gan Kim Yong Related Story All who take Covid-19 jabs will get physical vaccination card, cannot choose which vaccine to take Related Story First found in Britain and South Africa, Covid-19 variants have been detected across the world Related Story China's top diplomat Wang Yi suggests foreign outbreaks caused coronavirus pandemic