Looks like you've got your wish

[DoubleAction]

The EFL have taken matters into their own hands and cancelled all games until 3 April, when there will be a review.

If we're going to need the spirit of the Blitz, I'm not sure cancelling sport is the way to go but heyho.

Because a number of teams have had to self isolate in both the EFL & the prem. They'd have carried on regardless if not for sick players!

I thought the league pretty much halted during WW2?

Having lived equidistant between the old and new Arsenal grounds I'm glad that the supporters won't be piled in to tube trains, buses and pubs before and after sitting side by side for 90 minutes.

A few weeks/months delay to protect workers, supporters, players, ground staff and back room seems pretty sensible to me.

If we're going to need the spirit of the Blitz, I'm not sure cancelling sport is the way to go but heyho.

The Football League was abandoned from 1939-1946 and replaced with much smaller regional leagues. I’m not sure you Made the point you were trying to there.

Relieved to hear this.

Can't believe they let the Cheltenham Festival races go ahead though.

Whoever is responsible for that will go down in the history books like Philadelphia's public health director Wilmer Krusen in 1918, who against medical advice, let a massive parade take place in the city, with 200,000 spectators.

Within 72 hours of the parade on 28 Sept 1918, every bed in Philadelphia’s 31 hospitals was filled. In the week ending October 5, some 2,600 people in Philadelphia had died from the flu or its complications. A week later, that number rose to more than 4,500.

In total, the death rate in Philadelphia was over twice as high as in St Louis, where they closed everything down earlier.

Cheltenham "only" has 60,000 spectators. No problem, then.

www.smithsonianmag.com/history/philadelphia-threw-wwi-parade-gave-thousands-onlookers-flu-180970372/

Ou of interest, OP, you are suffering from 'optimism bias' - the idea that you'll be fine and are too selfish to think about the impact that your bias has on other people's health.

www.standard.co.uk/news/health/coronavirus-optimism-bias-why-people-think-wont-catch-covid-19-a4384421.html

To be fair, our leaders in the UK are suffering from optimism bias, too.

Either that, or they are making a killing (literally) by shorting the stock market.

If happy to hear this. DH works at Arsenal and is in his early 60s with bad lifelong asthma. We may lose out on some money but at least he’s got a bit more chance of avoiding infection.

Poppy, I think that makes the point exactly. It was recognised that sport in some form needed to continue.

I don't think I'm suffering from optimism bias at all. I am feeling very pessimistic about just how bad it will be and how badly the population will cope, which is why I believe everything should be done to keep things as normal as possible (and to allow some fun!) for as long as possible, so the "coping" period is as short as possible.

Poppy, I think that makes the point exactly. It was recognised that sport in some form needed to continue

There’s a huge difference between a war lasting years on end and an acute crisis.

And it’s Poopy.

A very sensible decision. Funny how businesses seem to be able to put the greater good ahead of making money while the government is just piffling about.

Plus a number of players and officials have tested positive for the virus, according to the radio just now.

I think its very sensible it's just a shame schools are still allowed to be open. We are being treated like guinea pigs to see what happens of it spreads to us all. Our country is being run by a clown

The Cheltenham races is doing my head in, you couldn't pay me to go there. They looked packed in like sardines.

I'm avoiding our parkrun tomorrow and that's only 500-ish.

I wish they’d ban other mass gatherings too....for purely selfish reasons! I have tickets for a concert in London at end of this month, standing tickets so would come into contact with lots of people.
I’ll choose not to go because I think it’s too risky for me (65 with lung damage from childhood illness) but I won’t get a refund on the tickets unless the Government ban it.

Ths is it exactly Estaury bird. You're concerned about your financial situation and that's OK, but if events are cancelled loads of people lose a lot more than £65.

I think we’re going to see more and more events being cancelled in spite of what the government says.

@poopypanda "and it's poopy" ended, thanks so much I needed that laugh today.

@Scbchl well we all could do with a giggle right now 😊

The EIHL finished their season today too.

@effingterrified - 60,000 spectators on each of the four days of Chelt Fest, so well over 200,000 in total. the irresponsibility beggars belief.

I’m a massive football fan, I’m glad that this decision has been taken. Teams are missing players, some games played without the fans, it wouldn’t be football as we know it.

Let’s get to April/May and restart the league.

DoubleAction, sadly its a no win situation. DH is an event security supervisor and I know how hard some of the security guys find it even without virus shutdowns. They’re all casual on a low hourly wage. His team were due to work at the C2C festival at the O2 but that’s been cancelled today. I’m relieved for him because he is ‘vulnerable’ but even missing one job is going to mean some of his team won’t be able to pay their rent.
I can see it from both ways but it really is a bitch

I know Estuary, which is why I'm so frustrated with people who see a complete shutdown as such a black and white decision.

I've had confirmation that I'll be paid, but be expected to do as much as possible from home. DS has just been told he's got next week off due to the downturn in demand they're already seeing (catering). As he lives at home and has very few expenses, he's seeing it as good news (for now). So we're Ok but I am so worried about people like DS' colleagues who have families etc.

The League wont restart in April/May Sparkling. That's why it's so ridiculous to do it so soon. The date they've stated is just when they should have been shutting down.

I feel that this is more a case of the Football teams protecting themselves and their million pound players rather than a public health decision. They’re protecting their investments even though it will result in a big financial hit in the short term.

Well, they may be doing it for the wrong reasons, but it's still clearly the right thing to do.