PARLIAMENTARY WRITTEN QUESTION
Football: Coronavirus (7 October 2020)

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what international comparative assessment the Government made of permitting spectators back into football stadiums during the covid-19 pandemic when preparing UK Government guidance on that matter.

Asked by:
Alison McGovern (Labour)

On 22 September it was announced that all sports pilot events currently ongoing would be paused with immediate effect, due to the sharp upward trajectory of Covid-19 cases nationally. A?s set out in our Roadmap, sports events pilots, and the full return of fans to stadia would only ever take place when it was safe to do so in this country.

We are committed to getting spectators back into stadiums as soon as it is safe to do so. We will continue to work closely with a whole range of sports to understand the latest thinking that might allow spectators to return. This includes the creation of a new Sports Technology Innovation Working Group of sporting bodies and health experts to analyse new technologies which might support this, and which will consider international best practice. This will supplement the draft government guidance, and the SGSA supplementary guidance to their Green Guide, which has been internationally welcomed and is now also available in French and Spanish translations.

If transmission rates decrease then we will of course take the opportunity to look again at getting spectators back into stadiums and remain mindful of international efforts to do the same

Answered by:
Nigel Huddleston (Conservative)
12 October 2020