LEGAL CHALLENGE Sport has been placed well and truly in context
discover what action is being taken by his club.
And the 24-year-old said: “It’s all a bit of a mess but we need to be patient, follow the advice and do whatever is asked.
“By all accounts, young people and my age bracket won’t be affected too badly if we contract the virus but it’s not really about that. It’s about contracting it then passing it on to the elderly and the most vulnerable individuals as that could be deadly.
“If you want to spend time with the elderly then the advice is to avoid that as you risk be ruled out. However, SPFL rules say dates can be “as determined by the board”, appearing to give them discretionary power to call time on the campaign.
If Hearts were relegated it would leave questions over the future of boss Daniel Stendel, passing the virus on. That underlines just how serious it is and everyone needs to watch what they are doing.
“It’s also about staying away from crowded places and unnecessary visits to shops and places like that. It’s not about self-isolating but staying away from high-risk areas.”
The SPFL and SFA face a thankless task coming up with answers about how to finish the season and Halkett has sympathy for them.
He said: “It’s an almost impossible situation for those in charge of our game. It’s easy right, and a number of the squad. Hearts were a Championship club when owner Ann Budge bought a controlling stake in 2014.
They romped to the title under Robbie Neilson – now at Dundee United who are set to move up to the top flight.
EMPTY FEELING Halkett admits the football shutdown has players across Scotland fearing for their futures as grounds such as Tynecastle, above, go into lockdown to say we need some clarity and definitive direction but nothing like this has ever happened.
“Nobody is certain as to how this is going to all pan out so it’s so difficult to make any statements just now.
“I’ve heard people within the game asking for the SFA to put a time limit on things but that’s maybe not possible as it’s a matter for medical experts. “There’s no finger of blame, nobody could have predicted a pandemic so it’s just something we need to all work through. “As footballers we’re fortunate to have medical staff so it’s a case of following their advice. “This is about public health and making sure you protect your family so at this time football doesn’t matter. It may have been a huge part of people’s lives a few weeks ago but the importance of sport has well and truly been placed into context.”