Fans are left with concerns as London is set to move into tier 3 as infections rise, causing fears from fans and leagues on Monday.
Six weeks ago, Boris Johnson introduced a new tier system with stadiums in Tier 1 and Tier 2 areas welcoming back up to 4,000 fans after a nationwide lockdown.
However just as fans entered through the turnstiles at various grounds within London, there will be some who haven’t yet been to a match to continue their wait since March 2020.
The capital will move into England’s highest tier of coronavirus restrictions from 00:01 GMT on Wednesday, MPs have been told.
Parts of Essex and Hertfordshire are also reported to be entering tier three with Hancock confirming London, south and west Essex (Basildon, Brentwood, Harlow, Epping Forest, Castle Point, Rochford, Maldon, Braintree, Chelmsford, Thurrock and Southend-on-Sea) and the south of Hertfordshire (Three Rivers, Watford, Hertsmere and Broxbourne) .
The tier three restrictions would see pubs and restaurants closed except for takeaway and delivery services.
MPs. who have been notified on the plans by Hancock, said a sharp rise in cases meant the health secretary was unable to wait until the next scheduled review of England’s three-tier system on Wednesday.
One MP said they were told that cases are doubling every seven days in the capital whilst cases in south Wales, London and parts of the East and south-east of England are on a sharp rise.
They added that the next review of the tier system would be on the 23rd of December.
Mr Hancock is expected to use his statement to outline the financial support available to the tier three areas.
Jeremy Hunt asked Matt Hancock whether it’s against the rules for shoppers to travel into London to do their Christmas shopping?
Hancock replies: “It is recommended that people should minimise travel unless it’s necessary in a tier three area.
“And [they] should minimise travel where it’s necessary to a tier three area.”
It follows warnings from London Mayor Sadiq Khan that tier three restrictions could have a “catastrophic consequence” for hospitality, culture and some retail.
He calls on the government to:
- Put in place “a compensation scheme for all lost income, based on last year’s returns, for any businesses affected by the further restrictions during this crucial festive period”
- Cover the cost of sick pay for workers who have to self-isolate
- Make wearing face coverings mandatory in busy outdoor public spaces
- Extend regular asymptomatic testing to all those unable to work from home – as well as students and staff at secondary schools, sixth-form colleges and further education colleges
He also asked the government to consider asking secondary schools and colleges “which don’t yet have testing facilities to close early and to reopen a bit later in January to allow time for weekly testing to be put in place”.
So what stadiums fall into which tier following this latest news? What tier is your team in? Regions discover lockdown fate so take a look below…
Full list of Tier 1
Isle of Wight
Cornwall
Isles of Scilly
Full list of Tier 2
Cumbria
Liverpool City Region
Warrington and Cheshire
York
North Yorkshire
Worcestershire
Herefordshire
Shropshire and Telford & Wrekin
Rutland
Northamptonshire
Suffolk
Hertfordshire (parts of)
Cambridgeshire, including Peterborough
Norfolk
Essex (parts of), Thurrock and Southend on Sea
Bedfordshire and Milton Keynes
East Sussex
West Sussex
Brighton and Hove
Surrey
Reading
Wokingham
Bracknell Forest
Windsor and Maidenhead
West Berkshire
Hampshire (except the Isle of Wight), Portsmouth and Southampton
Buckinghamshire
Oxfordshire
South Somerset, Somerset West and Taunton, Mendip and Sedgemoor
Bath and North East Somerset
Dorset
Bournemouth
Christchurch
Poole
Gloucestershire
Wiltshire and Swindon
Devon
Full list of Tier 3
Hertfordshire (parts of)
Essex (parts of)
All 32 boroughs plus the City of London
Tees Valley Combined Authority:
Hartlepool
Middlesbrough
Stockton-on-Tees
Redcar and Cleveland
Darlington
Sunderland
South Tyneside
Gateshead
Newcastle upon Tyne
North Tyneside
County Durham
Northumberland
Greater Manchester
Lancashire
Blackpool
Blackburn with Darwen
The Humber
West Yorkshire
South Yorkshire
Birmingham and Black Country
Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent
Warwickshire, Coventry and Solihull
Derby and Derbyshire
Nottingham and Nottinghamshire
Leicester and Leicestershire
Lincolnshire
Slough (remainder of Berkshire is tier 2: High alert)
Kent and Medway
Bristol
South Gloucestershire
North Somerset
London is set to move into tier 3 so here are some guidelines as to what you can and can’t do.
What are tier three (very high) rules?
- You cannot mix indoors, in private gardens or in most outdoor venues, except with your household or bubble
- You can meet in a group of up to six in other outdoor spaces, such as parks, beaches or countryside
- Shops, gyms and personal care services (such as hairdressing) can stay open
- Bars, pubs, cafes and restaurants must stay closed, except for delivery and takeaway
- Sports fans cannot attend events in stadiums
- Indoor entertainment venues – such as bowling alleys and cinemas – must stay closed
- People are advised not to travel to and from tier three areas
Back in November, London had the third lowest regional rate of about 187 cases per 100,000, while Yorkshire and the Humber recorded the highest at 443 per 100,000.
Now the two regions seem to have swapped places, with Yorkshire enjoying the third lowest rate of about 170 per 100,000.
What tier 3 means for football:
– Elite clubs cannot have fans
– Fans are told not to travel in/out of tier 3 areas
– Non-League steps 3-6 can have fans up to 15% capacity
– Grassroots can have spectators
– Grassroots players & clubs can’t travel in/out of tier 3 area
Fans were left with concerns as London is set to move into tier 3 and other regions discover the latest lockdown fate as infections rise…
@dave_ctid: Yes they’ve joined the rest of us on this unlevel playing field. Now I wonder what the authorities will do to exclude Everton, Brighton and Southampton, leaving the media darlings to do what they want.
@CJ_Slater16: Arsenal fans set to campaign that this remains in place until the summer
@NyaJab82: Tbf I think arsenal would have struggled to get 2000 through the doors after yesterday’s shyt show
@MrCCockayne: Arsenal fans are over the moon
@Timmy_lew: A few days too late to spare those poor Arsenal fans from the ignomy and embarrassment of being at the Emirates yesterday. I was surprised how quiet the booing was and the lack of abuse being shouted. Must have been 2000 corporate tickets……
@AchtungMillwall: I know it’s only been a few week’s window where restricted numbers of fans were allowed back, but it’s always heartening to know that in that time Millwall can rock the game’s establishment, enrage the media & cause a series of football nervous breakdowns. #TillTheNextTime
@RegenMr: We’ve been in tier 3 since lockdown 2.0 finished and all Sunday league has been cancelled so welcome to the shit club
Jason Lee: Got to feel for those in London after hearing that it is set to move into tier 3
@kentreedy: But we can still all pile into the nearest shopping centre though.
Grassroots is step 7 and below for covid guidance
— Ollie Bayliss (@Ollie_Bayliss) December 14, 2020
Ridiculous, my son plays for a step 6 side playing away at a tier 2 club at the weekend. So he can play but I can’t travel to watch. Makes no sense.
— Martin Wheeler (@mjwhoopsa) December 14, 2020
Welcome to our world in the midlands… madness… you can go mix with hundreds of people in tesco yet they stop teams… players and spectators travelling… crazy 😡
— Don ‘Cornsey’ Onli (@Dononli1) December 14, 2020
I take this to mean @ComCoFL could still have crowds of 150? So, for example, I live in a London borough and could travel within the area to watch a game?
— Benham (@BenChillingham) December 14, 2020
FA really need to sort grassroots out. There’s no difference from a step 6 side travelling in and out of tier 3 then a grassroots level doing the same, it’s completely pathetic.
— andrew crowther (@crowther14) December 14, 2020
It’s total shite! People who love the game are turning away from it.
— Steve Brown (@StevenBMedia) December 14, 2020
No grassroots football for over 18s on Tier 3 but youth football is allowed
— St.Clere’s F.C. (@st_cleres1) December 14, 2020
If grassroots players can’t travel in and out of tier 3 how are they supposed to play against teams in a higher tier?
— BTFC Unofficial 🏴 (@BTFCUnofficial) December 14, 2020
So grassroots football has to stop now then?
— L.A.D (@olliefoxy) December 14, 2020
Why haven’t we heard a thing from the meetings last week re lancs fa suddenly stopping grass roots football without warning or reason!?!?
— Si Halliwell (@SiHalliwell82) December 14, 2020
With regions up and down the nation discover the latest lockdown fate, let us know your thoughts by commenting below!
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