Following meetings on March 18th and 26th, the Chinese Taipei Football Association (CTFA) has announced that the domestic season will begin as scheduled, but will initially be closed to the public.
The meetings confirmed that the Premier League season would commence as planned on April 12th. However, to protect against COVID-19, there are a number of new measures in place.
Fans will be prevented from attending games. Only players, officials and ID-holding club staff will be able enter the stadium. There is no official deadline for when fans will be allowed back into the stadiums.
Officials will also conduct on-site health checks on all present. This will follow the standard operating procedure around Taiwan of taking temperatures and using sanitising alcohol.
If any member of staff, including players, tests positive for COVID-19, all personnel associated with the individual’s team will immediately be isolated for 14 days, and the league will hold an emergency meeting to decide on the implications for the rest of the season.
Whether the measures proposed will prove sufficient remains to be seen.
As a huge portion of the sporting world lies in limbo, Taiwan’s decision to proceed with the domestic season reflects a confidence in how the outbreak is being handled here.
Original – on the Taiwan Football News site.
