The UK Government has confirmed that London and parts of the south east and east of England will be entered into a new Tier 4 due to rising coronavirus numbers.
A new variant of the virus has been found to be spreading quicker than modelled in parts of the country and, due to its increased contagiousness, the government have opted to put the worst-hit parts of the country into Tier 4.
This has impacted Christmas plans for people living in Tier 4, with household mixing no longer allowed over the festive period.
But how will elite sport, such as Arsenal, Chelsea and Tottenham in the Premier League and the EFL as well, be impacted by the announcement?
Prime Minister Boris Johnson says restrictions in Tier 4 are set to resemble the rules that were in place for the November lockdown - which means nonessential shops will shut and household mixing will not be allowed.
Yet the Premier League and EFL were able to continue during the November lockdown and, with Prime Minister Johnson saying people can still go to work if they are unable to do so from home, it suggests elite sport will be unaffected.
Whilst people in Tier 4 are not allowed to leave their area, there will be some exemptions, such as for work.
There should be no impact on whether spectators can attend matches, due to the fact it is Tier 3 areas that are entering Tier 4, so fans were not allowed into games in these parts of the country anyway.
There has been no announcement on further restrictions in Tier 2 areas, aside from people being advised to stay local, meaning fans should still be able to go to matches.
