The Premier League clubs will discuss the next step in "Project Restart" on Monday, with the goal of being able to resume the football season (which has been paused since March 9 due to the corona pandemic) as soon as possible.

Now it is clear that this can happen at the earliest on June 1, writes the BBC. This is after the British government on Monday published a 50-page document with plans on how society should gradually return to normal and ease the national shutdown.

Step two of that plan is to "allow cultural and sporting events behind closed doors for television broadcasting while avoiding large-scale risk of social contacts". Something that becomes relevant to the end of the month, at the earliest.

As late as Sunday, Prime Minister Boris Johnson ruled that "no, this is not the right time to stop the shutdown." He also announced that the country is still beginning to ease some of the restrictions, where schools and shops can open on 1 June at the earliest.

Upbeat study

Premier League's hope is to resume the series game on June 12, provided the security requirements can be met and that the number of confirmed coronary cases does not continue to rise in the country.

But regarding this, the players are worried. How should they avoid getting infected when sharing football pitches with others in a contact sport?

"There are players who have expressed genuine concern," says Bobby Barnes, assistant director of the players' union, according to Reuters.

- There are players who have young children, players with pregnant partners, players with underlying health conditions.

A British government study found that virus mortality among black Britons was almost twice that of whites. A study that also creates concern.

- Some of the young dark players I have talked to have read what is in the media and want answers to that study. Am I more influenced and if so why? says Barnes.

Three infected

- My position with the Premier League has been from the first day that it is good that we say what we think in suits, but it is not us who will be out there (on the pitch) on a Saturday afternoon and then go home to our families.

Over the weekend, the news came that a third Brighton A-team player tested positive for covid-19, which aroused new concern about kicking off the season.

Nearly 220,000 confirmed cases of coronary infection have been confirmed in the UK with just under 32,000 dead.