Latest government update on the return of fans

Monday 22 February 2021 17:08

A limited number of supporters could be allowed back into games in England this season, following UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson's address to the House of Commons on Monday afternoon.

Plans have been announced to get the country out of lockdown and these include the possibility that fans might return on the final day of the Premier League season.

Manchester United's last fixture is away to Wolves on Sunday 23 May, while our final home game is provisionally scheduled for Saturday 15 May - two days before the phase that would allow spectators back into stadia is due to begin.

From that key date of 17 May, if restrictions can still be eased, up to 10,000 people may be able to attend games or grounds could be a quarter-full, whichever figure is lower.

"Turnstiles of our sports stadia will once again rotate, subject, in all cases, to capacity limits depending on the size of the venue," said Johnson. "We will pilot larger events using enhanced testing with the ambition of further easing of restrictions in the next step."

It has been confirmed that a series of pilots will be "using enhanced testing approaches and other measures to run events with larger crowd sizes and reduced social distancing to evaluate the outcomes" starting in April.

Meanwhile, grassroots football is set to return from 29 March, which would also permit younger children in the Academy to resume training and playing.

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