Virus-hit EPL will play on

LONDON (AP):

English Premier League (EPL) clubs decided against pausing the season yesterday despite 10 fixtures being postponed in the previous week due to the most widespread coronavirus outbreaks to date across squads.

While more than 90 per cent of players in the Italian and Spanish leagues have been fully vaccinated, the Premier League disclosed that only 77 per cent of its players had received two doses. In its first update on vaccine take-up in two months, the league also said that 16 per cent of players had not received even a single dose.

Coronavirus cases across players and staff hit another high in the last week, more than doubling from 42 to 90. It reflects a spike in infections across Britain – up some 60 per cent in the last week – with more than 90,000 daily cases reported in three of the last four days.

Premier League clubs met virtually yesterday after six of the weekend’s 10 games were called off.

“While recognising a number of clubs are experiencing COVID-19 outbreaks and challenges,” the league said after the call, “it is the league’s collective intention to continue the current fixture schedule where safely possible.

“The health and well-being of all concerned remains our priority, and the league will continue to monitor and reflect public-health guidance, always proceeding with caution.”

Due to the looming fixture congestion to play postponed games, it was announced yesterday that plans for replays in the third and fourth rounds of the FA Cup have been scrapped.

The league has urged players to get vaccinated to avoid squads being depleted and games called off due to coronavirus cases.

The British government hopes that vaccine boosters will offer more protection against the highly transmissible Omicron variant, as the data suggests, and has set a goal of offering everyone 18 and up an extra shot by the end of December. More than 900,000 booster shots were delivered on Sunday as football stadiums, shopping centres, and cathedrals were turned into temporary inoculation clinics.

People in England who have not been fully vaccinated have to self-isolate for 10 days if they are deemed a close contact of someone who had tested positive. Someone in that situation who has received at least two vaccine doses would only have to undergo daily virus testing – allowing a football player to keep playing.