Robbie Neilson has urged league chiefs to keep the Scottish football show on the road over the Christmas period despite rising panic levels over the new covid wave.
SPFL clubs are on red alert with several games in England being cancelled and fears the Omicron chaos could spread north of the border.
Dundee United are already battling an outbreak ahead of tomorrow’s clash with Rangers while Livingston boss David Martindale called for the January winter break to be brought forward immediately as a circuit breaker.
But Neilson is hoping to hang on to give suffering supporters some festive cheer.
The Jambos gaffer said: “Our job is to play football and entertain people.
“And I think at this moment in time fans are looking forward to games.
“There are people out there who football is the main part of their life.
“And if we just decide we’re going to stop for two weeks and then we have another break in January, it’s going to be difficult over this festive period.
“I know myself I look forward to this period because there are so many games to watch, to go to, to be involved in.
“So we have a responsibility to ensure we follow the protocols and try to get the games on.”
Neilson is confident the Scottish game can ride the storm and he doesn’t think it’s inevitable games will go.
He said: “I don’t think so, it’s just where we are at this moment in time.
“We’re always going to have ups and downs, wee spikes going into the winter period.
“From our perspective as a club it’s about making sure we follow the protocols.
“And we hope everyone else does as well.”
Livi boss Martindale insisted Scottish football is heading for a major problem though – and he would batten down the hatches right away.
He said: “I would shut the league down for two weeks. I would have a circuit-break and go again.
"I don't believe it's fair on teams even when they meet the criteria of 13 players, so many over-18, two goalkeepers. I don't believe it's fair for the competition and the product.
"Is it fair that Dundee United could potentially be going into a game at Ibrox, and I don't know the situation, with six or seven players missing?
"We need to be clever on how we approach this. I think it's going to have a massive impact on Scottish football over the next couple of weeks.”
Hearts – who face Dundee on Saturday – insist it is business as usual for now and Neilson has faith in the club's strict covid rules in place.
He said: “There’s not much you can do (about the uncertainty). You need to make sure the players follow the protocols.
“You need to try and guide them when they are away from here as well.
“And then every time when they come in you hope when they do a Lateral Flow it’s clear.
“And if it’s not then you need to get on top of it quickly,
“Thankfully we have a good medical staff here who are on top of it and who are working away to try and make sure it doesn’t come in.”
Hearts are hoping to jet out to Spain during the winter shutdown but Neilson admitted the plans are up in the air at the moment.
Clubs were left scrambling last week when the SFA Joint Response Group issued new guidelines warning entire bus or plane loads could end up in quarantine if there was even a single positive case.
It was later corrected and players can test their way out of isolation if they are identified as a contact, but it’s left sides weighing up January travel plans.
Neilson said: “We’re still planning to go away but we are in negotiations at the moment about what we do.
“We’re awaiting further guidance from the JRG.”
