UK Implements National Lockdown, Elite Sports Will Continue

Illustration: Snow falling during Arsenal's Premier League match against West Bromwich Albion at The Hawthorns (Photo: Antara)

JAKARTA - Britain will allow the sport of choice to continue despite Prime Minister Boris Johnson announcing a national lockdown on Monday. This was done by Johnson following the increase in COVID-19 cases in the country caused by a new, more virulent variant of the corona virus.

The UK has recorded more than 2.65 million confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 75,000 deaths.

A record 58,784 new cases of coronavirus infection were reported on Monday.

Britain has followed neighboring Scotland in enforcing a strict lockdown by instructing its citizens to stay at home but allowing professional sport to continue.

Outdoor sporting arenas including gyms, tennis courts and golf courses will be closed and outdoor sports will not be permitted, but elite sports, including the Premier League, will continue, Antara reported.

The League Cup semi-finals will be held on Tuesday and Wednesday followed by the FA Cup third round tie which kicks off on Friday.

The Premier League also still has schedule issues to deal with after four matches postponed due to the outbreak of COVID-19 at Newcastle United, Manchester City and Fulham.

Newcastle and City will have to close their training centers for sterilization before their players can return to training.

The Premier League has also registered a record-high 18 positive cases in one week last month and a total of 131 people at the top tier of the Premier League have tested positive in the 17 tests it has run.

The situation is getting worse at the lower strata where EFL club players and staff do not undergo regular testing and a number of cases have resulted in 50 matches being postponed this season.

The rugby league will also resume even though a number of matches were canceled due to COVID-19.

However, unlike the Premier League, canceled Premiership rugby matches will not be rescheduled, with four points allocated to teams capable of playing the match and two points to teams unable to compete due to the outbreak.