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British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has announced plans that could see up to 10,000 fans attending sporting events in England from May 17.
The measure was outlined in a four-part roadmap designed to pull the country out of its third coronavirus lockdown and return to normal.
This has raised hopes that fans will be able to attend events such as UEFA Euro 2020, Wimbledon and the Rugby Union World Cup this year.
But the proposal is part of the third stage of the roadmap and strict criteria must be met to move from one stage to the next.
This includes the continued success of the vaccine rollout, sufficient reduction in deaths and people requiring hospital treatment, lower infection rates, and no issues caused by newer coronavirus variants.
The 10,000 fan rule covers large stadiums with at least 40,000 seats.
Johnson has suggested that “normal life” could return to England on June 21 – the end of the fourth stage where it is hoped that all other restrictions will be lifted.
London’s Wembley Stadium is set to host seven multi-city Euro 2020 matches this year, including the semi-finals and the final.
The tournament, which has been postponed a year due to the coronavirus, is scheduled to start on June 11.
This means the third match at Wembley – England’s final Group D game against the Czech Republic on June 22 – could go to a full house.
Wimbledon was the only one of four Grand Slam tournaments to be canceled entirely due to COVID-19 in 2020 and organizers have reacted to the government’s announcement with caution.
The match at the All England Club is scheduled to start on June 28 this year.
“We welcome the government’s announcements and look forward to continuing to work with them and the rest of the sport with the ambition of safely welcoming spectators to our events this summer,” a statement said.
“We will continue to plan around our aspiration to host the best championships possible, with the health and safety of all of our guests, employees and competitors remaining our top priority.
“We remain focused on developing our plans under full, reduced and no public capacity scenarios so that we can remain as nimble and flexible as possible in the face of government and the public health situation.
“While the success of the current immunization program is very encouraging, we recognize the need for a cautious approach at this point.”
England will host this year’s Rugby World Cup between 23 October and 27 November.
“We are very encouraged by the roadmap for returning spectators to sports stadiums, which has been detailed by the Prime Minister in Parliament,” said Jon Dutton, managing director of the event.
“We remained positive and optimistic about the possibility for fans to attend the tournament, which will be held in October and November 2021 in England.
“We recognize that there are still challenges ahead, but we very much hope that this tournament, which takes place mainly in many of the hardest hit areas in the north of England, will play a role in the recovery plan for the country’s pandemic and will be the biggest and the best Rugby World Cup. “
Other sporting events that could welcome fans include the conclusion of the Premier League football season, scheduled to end on May 23.
The Formula 1 British Grand Prix will take place on July 18 at Silverstone.
“The turnstiles of our sports stadiums will turn again,” said Johnson.
Outdoor core sport is expected to return on March 28, while indoor facilities such as gymnasiums could return on April 12.
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