The Premier League has received the green light from the United Kingdom government to restart the season behind closed doors from June 1.
This comes after UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson set out road maps on Sunday evening to ease lockdown restrictions during the Coronavirus pandemic.
A full report has now been released.
The 50-page document includes “permitting cultural and sporting events to take place behind-closed-doors for broadcast, while avoiding the risk of large-scale social contact,” but this cannot happen before June 1.
Titled “Our Plan to Rebuild: The UK Government’s COVID-19 Recovery Strategy,” the document says lockdown measures will only be eased once certain measures have been met.
No spectators will be allowed at matches should the Premier League return, with the league’s 20 clubs set for a vote on how to resume the season in the next few days, including the use of neutral venues to host matches.
Fans in football stadiums “may only be fully possible significantly later depending on the reduction in numbers of infections,” the report states.
“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 maybe able to open safely only in part.”
The document talks about venues such as cinemas and hairdressers reopening in step three – no earlier than July 4 – but states: ‘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.
‘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.’
The Football Association has confirmed that it will meet with the government on Tuesday along with other sporting bodies to discuss a plan for the next steps regarding the resumption of sport.
