Government announces special sporting quarantine exemptions with F1 and snooker among those to benefit
British sport received a shot in the arm over the weekend when the Government granted those involved in elite competition an exemption from its 14-day travel-quarantine rule.
The decision to grant several elite sports the privilege of having not to quarantine when entering the country will benefit English clubs in the Champions League, golf's restart in Britain, Silverstone and the snooker World Championships in Sheffield.
It means Manchester City and even Chelsea - if they reverse a 3-0 first-leg deficit against Bayern Munich - will not have to abide by the 14-day rule should they make the quarter-finals of the Champions League.
The latter stages of that competition are being staged in Portugal, which was not on the list of 59 countries given a travel quarantine exemption by the Government on Friday.
The United States was also missing from it, which means its golfers can go straight into competition at one of the several events taking place in Britain over the summer.
The British Masters takes place at the end of this month while, next month, women from the LPGA Tour and Asian Tours will not need to quarantine ahead of August’s Women’s British Open at Royal Troon.
China was also missing from the list of exempted countries, but snooker's exemption will benefit the several players from that country expected to compete in the World Championships in Sheffield this month.
Formula One has been granted an official exemption too, ahead of two grands prix at Silverstone next month, while the culture secretary Oliver Dowden has promised more exemptions including for darts and horse racing.
The exemption means that all people deemed essential to the staging of events, including officials, coaches, medics, mechanics and the media, will be permitted to travel to the UK without undergoing quarantine. The proviso is that they will live and work in "bubbled" environments behind closed doors.
International cricketers are also now formally exempt, although individual special arrangements have already been made for the touring West Indies and Pakistan teams this summer.
City are due to host Real Madrid in the second leg of their delayed last-16 tie next month, while Wolves and Manchester United are scheduled to play at home in the Europa League, against Olympiakos and LASK respectively. Spain, Greece and Austria are on the list of exempted countries, with the latter stages of the Europa League are in Germany, which is also on the list.
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."
