“Brakes May Have To Be Put On” On Fans Return To Stadiums

First Minister of Scotland, Nicola Sturgeon has hinted that the “brakes may have to be put on” on a return of supporters to Scottish football stadiums.

Whilst the two pilot test events will go ahead as planned this weekend between Aberdeen and Kilmarnock and Ross County and Celtic, the prospect of further spectator events may be put on hold after this weekend’s test matches due to rising cases of COVID-19.

Nicola Sturgeon is due to give an update on lockdown measures tomorrow (10 September 2020) in Holyrood.

The First Minister said: “I’ve said a few times this week, I’ve used terms like ‘putting the brakes on’, perhaps not going ahead with things we’d hoped to go ahead with given the evidence we’re seeing right now.

“People can draw a direction of travel from that, but in terms of detail I’m duty-bound to set that out to Parliament tomorrow.

“And, in any event, the way we take decisions in these three-week reviews, we haven’t yet finalised the decisions we’re taking on these things.

“On the test events, we’re thinking very carefully about all of this.

“We decided some weeks ago that we would (have test events), and this makes sense and is important before having (fans back in).

“A few weeks ago we might’ve hoped this would be sooner than it might turn out to be, to have spectators back in stadiums.

“We thought it would be sensible to do some pilot events to test the protections and the public health arrangements.

“There was a rugby test match that took place at Murrayfield a number of weeks ago with spectators in and we given permission for a couple of other events, football, to happen over the next few days.

“But clearly we are in a changing situation right and I think, certainly, in future we may be a bit more mindful about things like this while the numbers are looking like they are.”