TheCable

Barring any unforeseen circumstances, the English Premier League (EPL) is expected to resume behind closed doors as from June 1.

The British government gave the green light to resume the season in a 50-page document issued on Monday.

The document was titled “Our Plan to Rebuild: The UK Government’s COVID-19 Recovery Strategy.”

The EPL still has 92 fixtures left to play before the league went on break due to the coronavirus pandemic.

According to Sky Sports, a 60-page roadmap was unveiled by the government in which various protocols were outlined including the return of professional sports.

Boris Johnson, prime minister of UK, said — as part of his plan to bring the country out of the lockdown — sports will be allowed to broadcast from behind closed doors from the start of next month at the earliest.

Under phase two of Johnson’s coronavirus plan, which cannot begin any earlier than June 1, the UK government will allow “cultural and sporting events to take place behind closed-doors for broadcast, while avoiding the risk of large-scale social contact.”

It remains unclear when supporters will be able to return to venues. The document also talks about reopening venues such as cinemas and hairdressers reopening 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,” the document reads 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.”

Page 21 of the document warns that opening of venues such as sports stadia “may only be fully possible significantly later depending on the reduction in numbers of infections”.

Tournaments like Champions League and Europa League, which involve international travel could be affected by the government’s planned introduction of an enforced 14-day quarantine period for arrivals to the UK, except for those from countries “on a short list of exemptions”.