R rate now 1.7 according to Government report. You can forget about watching football in a stadium this season in my never humble opinion.

Fingers crossed for Summers Lane next Sunday as Wingate and Finchley host Bowers and Pitsea in the Isthmian League Premier Division. Jewish New Years Day encounter. Tickets for sale online or at the turnstile: £10, £6 concessions.

North London Exile wrote:Fingers crossed for Summers Lane next Sunday as Wingate and Finchley host Bowers and Pitsea in the Isthmian League Premier Division. Jewish New Years Day encounter. Tickets for sale online or at the turnstile: £10, £6 concessions.

Yes, 2 weeks tomorrow, I hope to be watching my third team Truro City playing a league game. Football with fans, really looking forward to it, if it happens.

Infection rate up for several weeks but hospital HDU admissions for Covid remains low - some hospitals have no Covid patients ????

DCMS have stated tonight they still intend to allow 'socially distanced crowds' in the National League from 1st October. Whether that's still the case when October rolls by is anyone's guess.

Some sense at long last and progress

The English Football League will continue to stage pilots with up to 1,000 fans at matches this weekend, following approval from the government.

EFL clubs were asked to put in requests by Tuesday in order for their plans to be signed off in time.

Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden will meet with sports bodies later this week to discuss the planned return of spectators to sport from 1 October.

The EFL said the pilots are an "important step" for fans' safe return.

Those in local lockdown areas were told they would not receive permission to take part in the test events.

In a letter to clubs this morning, the EFL's head of policy John Nagle said: "We cannot guarantee at this stage that all clubs that would like to stage a pilot will be given permission to do so, as only a limited number will be approved.

"We are still in discussions with regard to pilot matches on other dates."

Nagle apologised for the "late notice and short timescales", but said "we are very much in the government's hands on this one".

An EFL spokesman said it remains "in discussions with the government about the pilot programme which may include a limited number of further pilot matches during September with capacity limited to 1,000".

"The League is clear in its view that social distancing can be applied safely in football stadia and that having crowds at matches is an absolutely essential part of helping to protect club finances, which remain under extreme pressure," they added.

"Therefore, the successful delivery of further pilots will be an important step towards getting larger numbers of fans into grounds safely."

Last week, the government restricted pilot events to 1,000 spectators after a rise in coronavirus cases, and said plans for grounds to be up to a third full from 1 October would be reviewed.

The Premier League has already written to the government over pilot plans and says around £100m per month will be lost by clubs across the leagues while matches continue behind closed doors.

It is one of a number of sports bodies to have voiced concerns at the financial impact of an extended period with empty venues.

Nigel Huddleston, Minister for Sport, Tourism and Heritage, has written to former sports minister Tracey Crouch MP to state that despite changes to Covid-19 restrictions, the UK government is hopeful fans can attend events under socially distanced conditions from 1 October.

'We wouldn't last the season'
On Monday, the second pilot fixture in rugby union's Premiership took place as 1,000 spectators attended Gloucester's match with Harlequins.

Meanwhile, a report in the Times on Tuesday claims attendances could be restricted to between 1,000 and 2,500 from 1 October, depending on the coronavirus infection rate.

Gloucester chief executive Lance Bradley told BBC Radio 4 that level of restriction would be "a disaster" if put in place for the remainder of the season.

"We simply have to get fans back in reasonable numbers as soon as possible to ensure the game survives," said Bradley. "We can't keep going losing money with 1,000 or 2,000 fans.

"In the end, that would be a disaster. There are clubs in a worse position than us but we would find it very difficult.

"We wouldn't be able to make it through the season if we were only allowed crowds of 2,500."

'The consequences could be very serious for Silverstone'
Silverstone managing director Stuart Pringle said the track needs to get a full crowd back for next summer's British Grand Prix as a reduced capacity is not sustainable for its business.

"If we had no fans here next year - and in fact if we are required to run with a reduced number of fans here next year - the consequences could be very, very serious for Silverstone," he told BBC Sport.

"We have had a truly dreadful 2020. We are burning through cash at an alarming rate. You cannot run a 550 acre site with no revenue coming in or very, very reduced revenue.

"If we are not hitting a level that is very, very far above 50%, then we are not even breaking even. I don't want to run with a reduced audience next year because it will simply make us lose more money, quicker - and we cannot sustain that.

"If we are not there, Silverstone will be in a dire place."

RGH back in full lock down again.
Not allowed past entrance.
Daughter been in for over a week and nurse had to come down to collect bits and bobs for her.
Watching County for us fans will not happen for a very long time with people still totally ignoring new rules.
Adult males walking around Aldis with no masks, Lloyds in town today fella refusing to put mask on and still wanting to get served.

[quote="Frank Nouble 3"]RGH back in full lock down again.
Not allowed past entrance.
Daughter been in for over a week and nurse had to come down to collect bits and bobs for her.

Not true visitors have not been allowed for months only to the dying and one parent of a child

Some out patient clinics are running so those with appointments are allowed in

I don't think the sloppy attitude of some supermarket customers will have a bearing on fans being allowed into stadiums. Every fan is registered with the club with phone and email contact details and has a designated seat. I've never signed in to Morrisons. The area that might need scrutiny will be the terrace space. It will be in the interest of supporters to stick to the two metre rule. I'm sure they don't have a similar loyalty to their chosen supermarket.

UPTHEPORT wrote:

Frank Nouble 3 wrote:RGH back in full lock down again.
Not allowed past entrance.
Daughter been in for over a week and nurse had to come down to collect bits and bobs for her.

Not true visitors have not been allowed for months only to the dying and one parent of a child

Some out patient clinics are running so those with appointments are allowed in

Sorry but daughter been in and out for last 5 weeks.
Also took Step mother to clinic and was allowed to stay with her.
Not on about visitors but my wife was allowed to stay with her in A & E on our second visit and also taken changes of clothing to the ward door.
Today the gate security told us from today total lock down and again security on main entrance said the same and nurse came to entrance door.
Not going to argue with you but you work there so pretty surprised you did not realise Covid ward is back open also.

excessbee wrote:I don't think the sloppy attitude of some supermarket customers will have a bearing on fans being allowed into stadiums. Every fan is registered with the club with phone and email contact details and has a designated seat. I've never signed in to Morrisons. The area that might need scrutiny will be the terrace space. It will be in the interest of supporters to stick to the two metre rule. I'm sure they don't have a similar loyalty to their chosen supermarket.

Sorry but very few will stick to that rule.
Just look at every day now nobody could care a monkey it seems.
Total shambles in every aspect.

Frank Nouble 3 wrote:

UPTHEPORT wrote:

Frank Nouble 3 wrote:RGH back in full lock down again.
Not allowed past entrance.
Daughter been in for over a week and nurse had to come down to collect bits and bobs for her.

Not true visitors have not been allowed for months only to the dying and one parent of a child

Some out patient clinics are running so those with appointments are allowed in

Sorry but daughter been in and out for last 5 weeks.
Also took Step mother to clinic and was allowed to stay with her.
Not on about visitors but my wife was allowed to stay with her in A & E on our second visit and also taken changes of clothing to the ward door.
Today the gate security told us from today total lock down and again security on main entrance said the same and nurse came to entrance door.
Not going to argue with you but you work there so pretty surprised you did not realise Covid ward is back open also.

Where have I said covid ward not open it always has been since about end of feb

We have no one in icu which is good news

On my daily recycle pick,there are more discarded masks on the floor now that they are compulsory in shops.Why can’t they take them home and use them again the next day,really selfish and disgusting.Someone posted a pic on Facebook of a used mask and gloves left in a trolley at Morrisons.I do smile though when I see drivers wearing masks alone in their cars,who will they catch anything off?.

Percy plunkett wrote:On my daily recycle pick,there are more discarded masks on the floor now that they are compulsory in shops.Why can’t they take them home and use them again the next day,really selfish and disgusting.Someone posted a pic on Facebook of a used mask and gloves left in a trolley at Morrisons.I do smile though when I see drivers wearing masks alone in their cars,who will they catch anything off?.

Regularly dumped around our property.
Morons a plenty Percy.

Dog mess bags also just lobbed onto the main road and one left on our wall for us to put in the bin couple of feet away.
I do despair at times.

Hopefully there will be a decision made soon about holding a test fixture. The sooner that hurdle is overcome the better. When fixtures were curtailed in March, the football authorities jumped the gun on government pronouncements but that's highly unlikely this time. However, there is still time for the event to be given a green light for an October fixture (3rd or 17th). Let's hope customers in Aldi don't spoil things for us fans, eh?