BEVERLY HILLS, December 14, (THEWILL) –Â The Secretary of State for Health of the United Kingdom, Matt Hancock, on Monday, confirmed that London is to be placed under Tier-3 restrictions from Wednesday. This effectively brings to an end the brief return of football fans to stadiums in London.
Only last month, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson allowed for football supporters in Tier 1 and Tier 2 areas to start returning to matches, with a maximum of 4,000 people allowed to attend in Tier 1 and 2,000 in Tier 2.
As a result, fans of Arsenal, Chelsea, Crystal Palace, Fulham, Tottenham Hotspur and West Ham United were all handed the opportunity for in-person, live attendance of football games this month, all limited to 2,000 since London fell into Tier 2.
However, the capital city has seen a spike in rate of coronavirus cases in recent weeks which has forced the government to act. Hancock confirmed that the capital will be moved into Tier 3 when the latest tiers for each area of the country are released on Wednesday.
Therefore, until the next scheduled review of the tier system in January, supporters of all London clubs will be locked out of matches. Bars and restaurants will also take a hit because they will have to close, with only takeaway services remaining open.
Addressing the House of Commons on Monday afternoon, Hancock said:
“We are acting ahead of the formal review date. I am very grateful to colleagues at Public Health England, NHS Test and Trace and the Joint Biosecurity Centre, whose surveillance of this virus means we can act very rapidly when a problem arises.
“We have, therefore, decided to move Greater London, the south and west of Essex, which includes Basildon, Brentwood, Harlow, Epping Forest, Castlepoint, Rochford, Maldon, Braintree and Chelmsford, along with Thurrock and Southend-on-Sea and Borough Councils, along with the south of Hertfordshire into Tier 3, which is a very high alert level.”
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
