Charity match was held in County Durham on August 30
Monday 7 September 2020 13:25, UK
Up to 300 people who attended a charity football match have been asked to self-isolate for a fortnight after 28 people who attended the event tested positive for coronavirus.
The match was held at Burnside Working Men's Club, in Fencehouses, County Durham on August 30.
The location is close to the border with Wearside, so Durham County Council has been working with counterparts at Sunderland City Council, as well as Public Health England, to manage the response.
Contact tracing will be carried out for anyone deemed to have been close to someone who tested positive at the bank holiday weekend gathering, but anyone else who was at the charity game has been asked to self-isolate until midnight on September 13.
Gillian Gibson, Sunderland's director of public health, said: "It's really important that everyone acts responsibly and follows the public health guidance when outside of the home if we are to keep our community safe."
West Ham's Women's Super League clash with Arsenal this Saturday remains pencilled in to be the first competitive football match to be staged in front of fans following the coronavirus lockdown.
A maximum of 1,000 supporters will be allowed into Dagenham and Redbridge's Victoria Road for the fixture.
Brighton admitted 2,524 supporters for their 1-1 pre-season friendly draw against Chelsea at the turn of the month, which was the first football match to admit fans since a ban on mass gatherings was introduced in March.
The game was part of a raft of pilot events, across several sports, approved by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport for a phased return of spectators.
