Luton Town fans will be shut out of home matches once again and pubs and restaurants will be forced to shut after Bedfordshire was this morning plunged into the strictest Tier 3 of Coronavirus.
The town had been in Tier 2 restrictions since December 2 which meant that supporters had been allowed into the last two home matches, with 1,000 seeing a 3-1 victory over Norwich City and 2,000 watching a 3-0 triumph over Preston North End.
A further 2,000 were due to watch this Saturday’s Championship clash with top-of-the-table Bournemouth, but those plans have now been dashed, as the new restrictions come into force at one minute past midnight on Saturday morning.
There have been 751 new cases of Covid-19 confirmed in Luton over the past seven days, up by a rise of 123 (19.6%). The case rate per 100,000 residents is 314.5. The tier restrictions will be reviewed in a fortnight, but it means that there will be no spectators allowed for the visit of Bristol City on December 29. There will be another government review on December 30, which could determine whether fans are allowed to return to Kenilworth Road for the visit of Queens Park Rangers on January 2.
The town last week escaped the early announcement of strict measures placed on parts of Hertfordshire, London and Kent, but Hatters boss Nathan Jones called for “sensible progress” to allow football fans to continue to watch games in a socially distanced way.
The new Tier 3 restrictions will mean that from 00:01 on Saturday morning all hospitality businesses, such as pubs, restaurants and cafes, must close, though they can still supply takeaway. It will also mean:
Meeting indoors
You must not socialise with anyone you do not live with or who is not in your support bubble in any indoor setting, whether at home or in a public place
Meeting outdoors
You must not meet socially (in a private garden or at most outdoor public venues), with anybody you do not live with or who is in your support bubble. You can meet with people you do not live with (or do not have a support bubble with) in some outdoor public places, in a group of up to six people (including children).
Work
Everyone who can work from home should do so. Where people cannot do so, they should continue to travel to their workplace
School
All pupils should continue to attend school and colleges, unless required to self-isolate.
Cllr Khtija Malik, Luton Council portfolio holder for public health, said: “Luton has pulled together previously to drive down rates and we are determined to lead efforts to do the same again.
“The power to slow the spread is through everyone’s individual actions and I urge people to follow the guidance, pass it onto friends and family and together we can get some sort of normality back in our lives sooner.”
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