Prime Minister Boris Johnson has outlined a plan which could see Premier League football return in the coming weeks.
Football, like almost every other walk of life, has been severely affected by the coronavirus pandemic, which has claimed the lives of almost 32,000 people in the UK alone to date.
The Premier League has been working on measures for 'Project Restart' in order to complete the 2019-20 season, which only has nine matches left for most clubs.
Boris Johnson has now offered an update on a three-stage plan to help England's economy open up again, and the first stage appears to pave the way for footballers to return to work.
"This is not the time simply to end the lockdown this week. Instead we are taking the first careful steps to modify our measures," Johnson said in an address to the nation.
"We now need to stress that anyone who can't work from home, for instance those in construction or manufacturing, should be actively encouraged to go to work."
The group of people "who can't work from home" would seem to include footballers, although the situation for sporting events remains unclear after the Prime Minister went on to say that people can "even play sports but only with members of your own household".
Premier League clubs remain committed to finishing the season, although the league's bottom six are understood to have opposed plans to complete the campaign at neutral venues.
Liverpool currently sit 25 points clear of their nearest challengers and are only six points away from a first league title in 30 years, while Bournemouth, Aston Villa and Norwich City sit in the relegation zone.
Barney Corkhill
