Four organisations can still scupper plans for Hatters fans to return to Kenilworth Road for the first time in ten months, if they deem the Coronavirus risk too high in Luton.
The government announced today that Luton will be placed into Tier 2 high level alert restrictions, once the national lockdown is lifted on Tuesday, and that means the football club would be allowed allowed to welcome back 2,000 supporters.
That has raised hopes that some supporters will be able to attend Wednesday’s Championship clash with Norwich City but, while the Hatters have been preparing for the all-clear, they still need approval from four organisations with powers to decide otherwise.
The Stadium Advisory Group (SAG), the Sports Grounds Safety Authority (SGSA), Public Health England and the English Football League now all need to give their approval for supporters to return.
These organisations have the authority to look at the number of Coronavirus cases, locally, and rule that the risk is still too high for the Hatters to welcome fans back.
Commenting on the Tier 2 announcement by the government, Luton boss Nathan Jones said: “In principal that’s wonderful news and if that’s confirmed and we can get all the processes in place, that means 2,000 fans can come back into the stadium which will be a wonderful, wonderful start.
“We know it’s only a start and we know at the minute, it’s only a small light at the end of the tunnel, but at least it is a light, so let’s wait for confirmation, before we get too euphoric, but it definitely is a step in the right direction.”
If fan are given the green light to return, albeit with a fifth of the capacity of Kenilworth Road, Jones said: “It’s a start and it shows that we are moving in the right direction and what people have to do is start being sensible as well, because the nation, we don’t just come out of it (the pandemic).
“We’re not Mr Benn where we suddenly go into a closet and come out in a totally different land, it’s still Covid time, we have to be sensible in terms of what we do and come out of it.
“Adhere to the rules, be sensible and then build slowly, because we are still in a very pandemic driven time.”
