GOVERNMENT ‘UNDERSTANDS FRUSTRATION OF FANS’
THE frustration of supporters angry at seeing theatregoers at the London Palladium while they remain barred from sports grounds is not helped by what Oliver Dowden admits is an ‘inconsistency’ in the rules.
There was widespread confusion and criticism that events at the London theatre, which included a talk by former Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger, had been allowed to go ahead at a time when the government has paused the return of spectators to stadiums across the country because of a rise in coronavirus infections.
Culture secretary Dowden appeared to suggest the comparative volume of such events was one issue. ‘I accept people’s frustration at the inconsistency there,’ he told MPs at an evidence
Sports were the first to allow fans back and I was attacked by the arts
session of the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport committee. ‘We had sports on a path to return to normality In fact sports were the first to get on the first stage in the return to normality.
‘At that time, I was attacked by the arts for prioritising sports. The next stage was to have pilots to move to a point from October 1 where we would be able to have spectators in stadiums.
‘That is what I desperately wanted to happen. Because of where we are with the disease and the rapidly rising rate of infection, it has not been possible to have that further easement.
‘The very clear advice from the scientific community was that we should be imposing restrictions, which we are, not further easements.
‘It is worth noting the difference in terms of the quantum between the two. If we had social distancing for sports, that is a lot of people coming week in, week out going to stadiums up and down the country, it is an easement that contrasts to socially distanced indoor performances – people have noticed the Palladium – there are actually very few going on.’
Questions hang over why social distancing at outdoor sports is out but pubs and shops remain open.
Dowden said: ‘It is worth noting it is not just in the stadium – it’s the journey (and) people are likely to want something to eat or drink on the way, there is lots of other social contact.
‘That’s not to say those things can’t be mitigated, they can be. But we have to accept that in permitting that to go ahead from October 1 we would have been having an easing in restriction, an increase in social interaction, which could have aided the spread of the disease at the same time as we were imposing lots of further restrictions.’
The concerns over travel come despite Dowden being told by EFL chairman Rick Parry last month 66 per cent of Football League fans drive.
Dowden said that statistic was ‘surprising’ and mentioned three areas where improvement would need to be seen for spectators to return while answering a question on indoor performing arts venues. ‘One is a vaccine, and once we get to the point where that is sufficiently spread through the national community,’ he said.
‘The second is in relation to on-day testing, both the level of it and the confidence in it, and the third thing is the natural progression of the disease and the measures we’re taking to control it.’
The government is working with sports to identify funding support needed given the loss in spectator revenue, with Dowden confirming an initial allocation of £10million would go to National League clubs. The Premier League has agreed an extra £50m rescue package for Leagues One and Two.