Premier League players and coaching staff will have to self-isolate for 10-days after any trip outside the United Kingdom, according to a message sent to the 20 Premier League clubs on Sunday.
The new policy covers players that traveled outside the UK for national duties and players that follow their clubs outside the country for European competitions – Europa League and UEFA Champions League.
This means that all Premier League players that will travel outside the UK must remain within their team’s bubble until they return to the UK. If any player leaves their team’s bubble, such a player will be forced to self-isolate for 10 days.
Also, Premier League players and coaches on duty with their clubs outside the UK are mandated to remind in their club’s bubble throughout their stay outside the UK. Any player or coach that breaches the policy would have to self-isolate for 10 days when they return to the UK.
However, the 10-days mandatory self-isolation could be reduced to 5 days if the player or coach involve test negative for coronavirus.
The new policy is coming after the Premier League reported two positive cases of coronavirus in the recent mass testing for the virus. The last reported figure was the joint lowest figure that has been reported so far.
Hence, the Premier League attempt to ensure that the figures are kept as low as possible when Premier League players start traveling across the world during the forthcoming FIFA international break in March.
Recall that after the last FIFA international break in 2020, the Premier League reported double digits of positive coronavirus cases. The cases became so rampant that some league matches had to be postponed.
Based on this, the coach of Manchester City, Pep Guardiola, whose club suffered heavily from the pandemic in December had to advise the league’s body to prevent Premier League players from traveling out of the UK during the international break. Instead of an outright ban on international travels, the league decided to adopt a policy that will put the activities of the league’s players in check when they are outside the country.
Premier League players to play under spectators from May 17
Meanwhile, the Premier League and other sporting events in the United Kingdom will start having spectators at match venues from May 17, 2021. This was contained in a road map for easing coronavirus lockdown restrictions issued by UK Prime Minister, Boris Johnson.
Recall that fans have been banned from attending games since mid-March 2020 to prevent the spread of coronavirus. Some clubs were permitted to host fans last summer through the tier system which was discontinued in December.
According to recent developments, the House of Commons in the UK has agreed to ease restrictions step-by-step across the UK simultaneously instead of on a regional basis.
Based on this, stadiums in the country will be permitted to host about 10,000 spectators per game or be a quarter-full if that will be lower than the other.
