England set to bring back sports Monday
Sports events will be allowed to resume in England on Monday without any spectators, providing they comply with the government's coronavirus protocols.
The guidance for elite sports bodies was published by the government on Saturday as COVID-19 lockdown restrictions that were imposed in March are eased further.
“The wait is over,” Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden said. “Live British sport will shortly be back on in safe and carefully controlled environments.”
It paves the way for the planned June 17 return of the Premier League, the world's richest soccer competition.
“There is still much work to be done to ensure the safety of everyone involved,” Premier League chief executive Richard Masters said.
The government announcement allows English cricket authorities to plan for international series against West Indies and Pakistan.
Formula One is also exploring two races at Silverstone from July, with the season yet to start.
The first competitions to return on Monday are set to be horse racing, snooker and greyhound racing which lined up events in anticipation of the end of an 11-week shutdown of all sports.
British horse racing employs tens of thousands of people and the absence of meets since March 17 has left many facing “considerable hardship,” according to the Jockey Club.
A high-ranking official for the U.S. Open tells the AP that if the Grand Slam tennis tournament is held in 2020, she expects it to be at its usual site in New York and in its usual dates starting in August.
Charter flights to ferry U.S. Open tennis players and limited entourages from Europe, South America and the Middle East to New York. Negative COVID-19 tests before traveling. Centralized housing. Daily temperature checks. No spectators. Fewer oncourt officials. No lockerroom access on practice days.
All are among the scenarios being considered for the 2020 U.S. Open — if it is held at all amid the coronavirus pandemic — and described to The Associated Press by a high-ranking official at the Grand Slam tournament.
Tennis: