Coronavirus: suspension of English Football
The latest disruption from the coronavirus sees the Premier League and all other English football fixtures suspended until April
Somehow, despite the UK Government’s considerably relaxed approach to taking any of the recommended mitigation measures that other countries are taking (such as closing schools and discouraging mass gatherings), following Arsenal Head Coach Mikel Arteta and Chelsea star Callum Hudson-Odoi being diagnosed with Covid-19, English football chiefs have decided that more drastic action is needed in response to the virus.
The decision to suspend English football was revealed in a joint announcement from the Football Association, Premier League, EFL, Women’s Super League and Women’s Championship, running against the UK government’s advice to carry on with English football as usual, as ‘the risk of catching Covid-19 in a stadium was low’. "This action, which will be kept under constant review, has been taken due to the increasing numbers of clubs taking steps to isolate their players and staff because of the Covid-19 virus," a statement said. “It will also apply to all England team fixtures at every level and all FA competitions including the FA Cup and the Women's FA Cup, along with academy and youth-team matches.”
The statement continued, reasoning that the decision had been made purely on the number of cases requiring self-isolation. “Given the steps being taken across clubs, there is no alternative but for today's action,” the statement read.
Over in Europe, the UEFA has announced that all Champions League and Europa League matches scheduled for next week have also been postponed.
There’s no question as to the impact that these event cancellations will have on local economies, but the Centers for the Disease Control and Prevention and the World Health Organization’s advice could not be clearer. This week, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus raised the health emergency to its highest level, officially classifying the Covid-19 outbreak as a pandemic, and urging countries to take action now to stop the disease.
"WHO has been in full response mode since we were notified of the first cases," Tedros said. "And we have called every day for countries to take urgent and aggressive action. We have rung the alarm bell loud and clear."