Exempt Sports
The Culture Secretary has announced he has brokered agreements that will allow selected international sporting events and production on some of the biggest film and television productions to get underway safely this summer, in a major boost for the country and our economy.
A number of sports stars and their support teams, alongside international film and high-end television stars, directors and producers, will be exempt from quarantine - where they are essential to the event or production.
Sporting authorities, event organisers and the screen industry will need to follow Government covid secure guidance and put in place stringent protocols to ensure that they have a minimal impact on public health.
Bubbled
Exempted individuals will live and work in controlled "bubbled" environments behind closed doors.
The measures for sporting events in England mean that Silverstone, in the year of the 70th anniversary of the British Grand Prix, will be able to stage races on 2 and 9 August.
It also provides the green light for a summer of international cricket, Champions League and Europa League football, the PGA British Masters Championship and the World Snooker Championships to take place. Other major darts, horse racing and other sporting events are also expected to follow.
Exemptions will be limited to those essential to staging these events, including the sports stars, event officials, coaches, medics, mechanics and incoming members of the media.
Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden said:
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.
The announcement follows the Government's latest review of its public health measures for all UK arrivals from overseas, and marks the latest phase of the measured approach around easing the burdens of lockdown in a way that is expected to keep the R rate, the average number of secondary infections produced by 1 infected person, down.
Guidance
The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport has published a range of guidance in relation to elite sport over recent weeks.
On 13 May 'stage one' guidance was published, outlining conditions for a return to individual performance training at official elite training venues while maintaining social distancing from teammates and other people outside their households. This included safeguards such as the deep cleaning of facilities and the screening of athletes and staff for coronavirus symptoms before they can enter the training venue by an appropriately trained healthcare professional.
On 25 May, DCMS published 'stage two' guidance, outlining the conditions for elite athletes to resume competitive, close contact training at official elite training venues, so that players could get match fit under carefully controlled medical conditions.
On 30 May, DCMS published 'stage three' guidance - the conditions for elite athletes and professional sportsmen and women to resume competitive sport behind closed doors safely in England from 1 June. This opened the door for the first domestic live action in almost three months.
Stage four guidance, which will outline the conditions, facilities and processes that will need to be implemented for all cross-border sporting competition to take place behind closed doors, will be published in due course.
Individuals will be required to carry a letter from the studio responsible for the production which must include the following information: name; date of birth; passport number; UK address; production dates and location; contact phone number for the relevant studio; and DCMS certificate number to prove that the production has qualified as British and therefore meets the terms of the exemption.