When COVID-19 first became a global pandemic, soccer leagues throughout the world shut down (except of course for Belarus and Burundi, seriously). Many of these leagues returned to action over the summer, including the English Premier League.
The numbers in the UK are currently out of control and the entire UK is currently on lockdown. The headline from Wednesday, January 13th reported that the UK had recorded its highest daily deaths since the pandemic started.
Despite strict rules that have been in place, there have been many COVID outbreaks at a number of Premier League clubs. There have also been way too many reports of players flagrantly breaking the rules about social gathering and travelling.
The most recent outbreak is with Aston Villa where 10 players and four staff members tested positive and were forced in to self isolation.
Last week the league issued strict warnings to the league’s clubs and players about on field celebrations. This included no hugging, high fives or handshakes.
Over the weekend, players at several clubs, Sheffield United, Manchester United and Everton, ignored these warnings during matches and did their usual celebrations.
Today the British government has put out further warnings telling the players they must follow the coronavirus rules.
The announcement was put out by Sports Minister Nigel Huddleston. In a Twitter post, he said 'Everyone in the country has had to change the way they interact with people and ways of working. Footballers are no exception. Covid secure guidelines exist for football. Footballers must follow them and football authorities enforce them - strictly.'
Many managers have expressed concern that it will be difficult to control the on field actions of their players. At the same time, referees will be asked to remind players of their responsibilities.
There have been calls for the league to shut down again, but government officials want to avoid this. English football is one of the only things currently available to people to watch live on television and people are currently prohibited from doing much else. Soccer is the national pass time and provides the people with a form of sport entertainment.
The new restrictions include mask wearing at all times in indoor areas at the training ground, the use of three buses when travelling to ensure social distancing, limited physio treatment at training grounds and restricting indoor meetings.
What are your thoughts on the continuation of the English Premier League while COVID cases have risen in the UK? Should the league be shut down? Should players that break the rules by socializing in large groups be punished?
Let us know what you think.