January 5 – Professional football in the UK will continue behind closed doors despite the country being plunged into yet another national lockdown but almost all grassroots sport will cease, heaping even more pressure on non-league clubs.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson addressed the nation on Monday evening to unveil strict rules in a desperate bid to keep the virus from spreading out of control.
The first national lockdown, which began in March last year, saw professional sport across the country halted but with strict coronavirus protocols now in place, the government says the Premier League and Football League can continue even though there have been three recent top-flight postponements and no fewer than 52 altogether in the three divisions below.
The latest actions, which are expected to last until at least February 15, were prompted after the UK recorded more than 50,000 new confirmed COVID cases for the seventh day in a row.
Steps three to six of the non-league pyramid – in other words below National League north and south – will all have to halt though Step three has already been out of action for several months, involving more than 60 clubs who are in serious danger having their season curtailed altogether for the second time in a row.
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