Scotland follows Wales in banning fans from sport due to Covid-19
Scotland has followed Wales in banning spectators from sport in response to increasing numbers of Covid-19 cases.
First minister Nicola Sturgeon said most sport due to take place in Scotland over the Christmas period would be “effectively spectator-free”.
From Boxing Day for a period of up to three weeks, outdoor events will be limited to 500 people and indoor events to 200, with 1m social distancing in place.
The move means football’s Old Firm derby between Celtic and Rangers on 2 January, as well as the Edinburgh and Dundee derbies in the same 24-hour period, will take place behind closed doors.
“We intend to impose limits on the size of live public events,” said Sturgeon. “This will of course make sports including football effectively spectator-free for this period.”
Large-scale Hogmanay celebrations have also been cancelled, Sturgeon added.
Scotland’s move follows the decision by Welsh ministers to put all sport behind closed doors indefinitely from Boxing Day.
The call means horse racing’s Welsh Grand National and top-flight rugby union over the Christmas period will take place without spectators.
“Sporting events over the Christmas period are one of the big highlights of the year. Unfortunately, the new omicron variant is a significant development in the pandemic and could cause a large number of infections,” said Welsh economy minister Vaughan Gething.
England has resisted putting sport back behind closed doors for the first time since the first half of 2021.
The Premier League and English Football League both rejected calls to temporarily halt all games on Monday.
Starting on Boxing Day, sport fans in Wales will be unable to attend games at any level, from professional all the way down to community level.
The Welsh Grand National at Chepstow on 27 December is among the biggest events affected, along with the United Rugby Championship clash between Cardiff and Scarlets on 26 December.
Wales is planning a £3m fund for clubs and venues affected by the move.
“We need to do everything we can to protect people’s health and control the spread of this awful virus,” said Gething.
“Throughout the pandemic we have followed scientific and public health advice to keep people safe. The advice is clear – we need to act now in response to the threat of Omicron. We are giving people as much notice of these decisions as we can.
“Crowds will come back as soon as possible. We want everyone to be here to enjoy their favourite sports.”