The UK’s Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden has announced that ‘selected international sporting events’ will be allowed to get underway safely this summer as the country looks to boost its economy.
As a result of the announcement, a number of sports stars and their support teams will be exempt from quarantine if they are essential to the event, meaning that the British Grand Prix on the 2 and 9 august will be able to officially go ahead.
Dowden stated: “I’m very pleased that we’ve agreed exemptions from border health measures for a limited number of athletes and events staff, which means the British summer of sport is back on.
“I am grateful to the sports governing bodies who have worked closely with us to put in place stringent protocols to ensure these events can go ahead safely.
“It will mean that fans of the British Grand Prix, international cricket and Champions League football can look forward to yet more sporting action on home soil – a further boost to our national recovery.”
As Dowden alluded, the exemptions will allow international cricket, the Champions League and the Europa League to commence for UK sides. Moreover, the PGA British Masters Championship and the World Snooker Championships have been given the greenlight.
The Secretary also highlighted that ‘other major darts, horse racing and other sporting events’ are expected to follow suit.
A list of exempted individuals is limited to select sporting roles to ensure that only essential staff will be present for the events. This includes the sports stars, event officials, coaches, medics, mechanics and incoming members of the media.
Additionally, exempted individuals will live and work in controlled “bubbled” environments behind closed doors to ensure that the risk of spreading and contracting the virus is mitigated.
Dowden has also announced that similar measures have been put in place with regard to firm and television production to ensure that the economy begins to resume.
