Dan Roan, Chief sports editor for BBC sport, reports that plans are ongoing for the Premier League to resume as soon as possible.
The government plans to set up the first of a series of regular meetings involving senior medical directors of the major sports this week.
The move was described by a source close to the plans as a “quickening of the pace” intended to aid the resumption of the league “within weeks”.
The Chief Medical Officer’s staff would also be involved in the weekly meetings, and the Prime Minister has been briefed on the plan.
The health experts would examine the specifics of each sport to see what protocols would be needed to get each sport up and running as soon as possible, meaning some would return sooner than others.
Testing, social distancing, hygiene standards and strict limits on the numbers of people allowed in venues would all be mentioned in the meetings.
This comes just days after Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden told MPs that he had been having “productive talks” with governing bodies from across British sport on restarting following the coronavirus shutdown.
However, a return to action still depends on the government’s five tests being met, especially an increase in testing, and meeting social distancing guidelines.
All types of sports at all levels are on hold because of the coronavirus pandemic which has taken the lives of more than 20,000 people in the UK.
The Premier League is to hold its next meeting on Friday.
