The UK Government is planning on introducing ‘COVID-19 certificates’ for sporting events to “help get people back into stadiums.”
Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden – whose department oversees sport in Britain – confirmed the plans whilst talking to Sky News on Friday morning (March 19).
Dowden stated that he was working with fellow minister Michael Gove on piloting a COVID certificate system – which could be launched as part of a plan to ensure “the return of the things that we love.”
The Secretary of State spoke about the implementation of one-way systems and social distancing in stadiums when fans return, adding: “Another thing that we are considering is a COVID certification, and we’ll be testing whether we can use COVID certification to help facilitate the return of sports.”
When prompted to explain the differences between a COVID certificate and a vaccine passport, Dowden said the Government was still “working through those details.”
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“We’ve been clear there won’t be a ‘vaccine passport’; the Prime Minister has made that very clear,” Dowden stated.
“What we have said, though, is that in order to prove you’ve had a vaccine or you’ve had a successful negative test… we’re looking at ways to facilitate help proving that.
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“That may be one of the things that could help ensure we can get more people back into stadiums.”
Culture Secretary @OliverDowden tells @skygillian that govt is considering 'COVID certification' to help facilitate the return of sporting events by "proving people have had a vaccine", but says "there won't be a vaccine passport".
Under the current Government roadmap to exit lockdown, sports fans are set to return to stadiums from May 17.
From this date, larger performances and sporting events in indoor venues may be able to welcome crowds of either 1,000 people or operate at half-capacity (whichever is lower).
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Dowden previously confirmed that the FA Cup – on May 15 – was being earmarked as a potential event in which fans could return in bigger numbers.
Restrictions on spectators are expected to be lifted further – or even fully – on June 21.
Dowden said it was this date on which the Government was hoping to get “as much back as we possibly can” – including fans in “significant numbers”.
Wembley Stadium is scheduled to host fixtures at the UEFA European Football Championships this year – with the tournament taking place in June and July.
UEFA has asked the 12 host cities – which include London, Dublin and Glasgow – to submit a plan and realistic assessment of stadium capacities, with big decisions set to be made on the tournament in April.
Luxury Manchester gym Blok confirms permanent closure after weeks of uncertainty
Daisy Jackson
Blok Manchester has announced its permanent closure, weeks after the doors to the premium fitness facility mysteriously closed.
Around a fortnight ago, members began to arrive to their classes to find the gym on Ducie Street locked up and a forfeiture notice on the door – but at the time, Blok said that it was fighting to reopen.
Sadly, in an email sent to members today, its founder has confirmed that the studio is now permanently closed.
Blok – which has several very successful sites down in London – said that its relationship with its landlord has ‘broken down to a point where trust has been lost’.
The gym wrote that it’s been left with ‘no workable way forward’.
They said: “BLOK Manchester was a space built by our loyal and dedicated community. Whether you joined us for one class or one hundred, we are deeply grateful. You helped create something genuinely special in an incredible city.”
In the immediate future, they said they’ll be supporting the team of fantastic trainers who worked here, as well as looking after members.
Members will be contacted within a few hours with options and refunds owed.
Blok Manchester has announced its permanent closure. Credit: The Manc Group
CEO and founder Ed Stanbury said: “While this marks the end of a chapter, we don’t see it as the end of our story in Manchester. We’re already speaking with developers about potential future sites and remain committed to returning to the city when the time is right.
“Thank you for being part of our story so far. Let’s shape the future of wellness. The mission continues.”
Commenting on Blok’s Instagram post – its first in almost a fortnight – people have been sharing their sadness at the closure of its Manchester site.
One person wrote: “beautiful space, beautiful staff and beautiful community.”
Another said: “Sending love to all the instructors !! :(((( gutted”
Someone else commented: “THE BEST CLASSES. I’m gutted.”
‘The average cost of a pint’ in the UK by region, according to the latest data
Danny Jones
Does it feel like pints keep getting more and more expensive almost every week at this point? Yes. Yes, it does, and while you can’t expect a city as big as Manchester to be one of the cheapest places to get one in the UK, we do often wonder how it compares to other parts of the country.
Well, as it happens, someone has recently crunched the numbers for us across the nation, breaking down which regions pay the most and the least for their pints.
The data has been examined by business management consultancy firm, CGA Strategy, using artificial intelligence and information from the latest Retail Price Index figures to find out what the ‘average cost of a pint’ is down south, up North and everywhere in between.
While the latest statistics provided by the group aren’t granular enough to educate us on Greater Manchester’s pint game exactly, we can show you how our particular geographic region is looking on the leaderboard at the moment.
That’s right, we Mancunians and the rest of the North West are technically joint mid-table when it comes to the lowest average cost of a pint, sharing the places from 3rd to 8th – according to CGA, anyway.
Powered by consumer intelligence company, NIQ (NielsenIQ) – who also use AI and the latest technology to deliver their insights – we can accept it might seem like it’s been a while since you’ve paid that little for a pint, especially in the city centre, but these are the stats they have published.
Don’t shoot the messenger, as they say; unless, of course, they’re trying to rob you blind for a bev. Fortunately, we’ve turned bargain hunting at Manchester bars into a sport at this point.
We might not boast the lowest ‘average’ pint cost in the UK, but we still have some bloody good places to keep drinking affordable.
London tops the charts (pretends to be shocked)
While some of you may have scratched your eyes at the supposed average pint prices here in the North West, it won’t surprise any of you to see that London leads the way when it came to the most expensive pint when it came to average cost in the UK.
To be honest, £5.44 doesn’t just sound cheap but virtually unheard of these days.
CGA has it that the average cost of a beer in the British capital is actually down 15p from its price last September, but as we all know, paying upwards of £7 for a pint down that end of the country is pretty much par for the course the closer you get to London.
Yet more reason you can be glad you live around here, eh? And in case you thought you were leaving this article with very little, think again…
The Manc -
19th March 2021 
