Don’t cross the Border to watch Old Firm game
English police force urges fans to stay away from pubs
A POLICE force in England has urged Celtic and Rangers fans not to cross the Border to watch this weekend’s Old Firm match.
Several bars and pubs in Cumbria have been contacted by football supporters from Scotland looking to visit during the game on Saturday, the local police force said yesterday.
Licensed premises in the NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, Lanarkshire, Ayrshire and Arran, Lothian and Forth Valley health board areas are closed due to tighter coronavirus restrictions.
But fans who are hoping to watch the game in a pub or bar across the Border have been warned
that
Cumbria Police will strictly enforce the rule of six.
Supe r i n tendent Mat t Kennerley said: “We understand restrictions on licensed premises in Scotland might offer the temptation to travel south of the Border to visit our pubs and bars – but anybody breaching rules here does face a fine.
“We would like licensees to be aware of this and to think carefully about their responsibilities and the rules in place to protect everyone.
“For people in the Central Belt, it is also important to remember that the Scottish Government is asking those people to think carefully about whether they need to travel outside their local health board area.
“Our officers will be out in town centres and busy areas to enforce breaches of the regulations.”
Kennerley urged people to think twice before travelling. He said: “Due to our geography and the popularity of the Lake District, we get visitors from many areas every day.
“For instance, people from Cumbria and Scotland cross the Border every day to go to work, shop and socialise within the permitted rules.
“But with different restrictions in place in different areas of the UK and the virus now spreading fast, we would urge anybody who does travel in any way to think carefully about their actions.”
He added: “If you do travel, you must familiarise yourself with the rules in that area.
“In Cumbria, you must comply with the rule of six, wear face coverings on public transport and contact tracing is in place in licensed premises.
“We are also strongly advising
people to limit indoor and outdoor contact with others to people from no more than two households at a time. Social distancing applies at all times.”
Carlisle City Council and Cumbria Police are working together to monitor the situation in the area. A spokesman for the local authority said: “Our priority is the safety of the pubs and rules are in place to protect everyone.
“We urge local businesses to comply with the new legal requirements or they could face getting a fixed penalty notice or prosecution.
“All employers have a legal responsibility under health and safety law to assess and manage the risk of Covid-19 and protect workers and customers. This means businesses need to think about the risks they face and do everything reasonably practicable to minimise them.”
JET2 has suspended a number of holidays to Spain and Portugal until early 2021 due to the “uncertainty caused by the Covid-19 pandemic”. The airline said flights from Scotland to Malaga and Alicante have been suspended up to and including February 10, 2021. A flight-only service will continue to operate to Faro up to and including October 31, but after that all flights and holidays to the destination will be suspended – also until February 10. Passengers who have had their booking cancelled will be entitled to a full refund.