All 72 clubs in the English Football League, including Lincoln City, Grimsby Town and Scunthorpe United, will be tested twice a week for COVID-19.
The Professional Footballers’ Association (PFA) will fully fund the testing when it begins from Monday, January 11.
It comes as a re-introduction to a full league testing programme in order to be more vigilant against rising coronavirus cases.
All 72 clubs from the Championship, League One and League Two took part in mandatory testing on the week of January 4, and it has been decided that more regular testing will continue.
The EFL announced that additional testing may help identify cases quicker, as well as assisting the isolation of asymptomatic individuals.
Lincoln City were recently hit with a COVID-19 outbreak when their manager Michael Appleton and goalkeeping coach Steve Croudson had to self-isolate after testing positive for the virus on New Year’s Day.
The Imps’ First Team Manager Michael Appleton. | Photo: Lincoln City Football Club
Trevor Birch, chief executive of the EFL, said the decision was made with the health and wellbeing of players and staff in mind.
He said: “We have repeatedly maintained that adhering to the stringent protocols implemented during the re-start last summer.
“With the new strain of the virus taking hold across parts of the country, it is now clear from our discussions with our medical advisors and public health officials that additional testing, operated in conjunction with strict protocols, may prove beneficial in the immediate short-term.
“I’d like to take this opportunity to thank the PFA for their support in helping us to finalise a position on testing across all three divisions on a twice-weekly basis.”
The testing will only be used by EFL clubs, meaning Premier League and non-league sides are not involved in this particular programme.
Due to new national lockdown restrictions, only elite sport is allowed to continue, meaning clubs in tiers 3-7 of the non-league football pyramid cannot play matches.
Of all the Lincolnshire football clubs, only Lincoln City, Grimsby Town, Scunthorpe United, Boston United and Gainsborough Trinity can carry on playing games.
The likes of Pinchbeck United, Spalding United, Grantham Town and Sleaford Town have had to pause their seasons until further notice.
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Lincolnshire Wildlife Park gave supporters the inside peek at dicey dental surgery of one of its tigers.
The park located at Dickon Hill Road in Friskney near Skegness went live on Facebook to show the procedure of dental surgery on one of its Bengal Tigers, Skah.
CEO at Lincolnshire Wildlife Park Steve Nichols will be hosting a series of livestreams showing the process, inviting everyone to “share far and wide” to see what goes on behind the scenes.
Heritage sites in Lincolnshire will reopen from Monday with booking in advance advised, and in some cases, essential.
The grounds of Lincoln Castle are already open as a green space and the medieval wall walk reopened in April. The iconic attraction will be back fully open seven days a week (10am-5pm) from May 17.
This means the David P J Ross Magna Carta Vault, takeaway cafe and shop will be back open, but booking with timed-entry is essential, including Castle Day tickets for adults priced at £13.05.
Here is a round-up of Lincolnshire County Council-run heritage sites and other historical attractions reopening on Monday:
The Collection Museum
The museum will be open five days a week between 10am and 4pm Thursday-Monday.
The Museum of Lincolnshire Life on Burton Road. Photo: The Lincolnite
The Museum of Lincolnshire Life will be back open for three days a week – Friday to Sunday between 10am and 4pm.
Entry is free, but visitors must book online at least three days before their intended visit.
The Battle of Britain Memorial Flight Centre (BBMF)
Photo: Sean Strange for Lincolnshire Reporter
It will be open for four days a week – Tuesday to Friday between 10am and 4pm.
Tours will take place at 10.15am, 11am, 11.45am, 12.30pm, 1.15pm and 2pm.
Pre-booking is essential due to limited numbers – book tickets here.
Councillor Lindsey Cawrey, executive councillor for heritage and culture at Lincolnshire County Council, said: “We’re delighted to announce that from Monday, Lincoln Castle, The Collection Museum, Usher Gallery, Museum of Lincolnshire Life and the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight Centre will all reopen and, because we are expecting a lot of interest, pre-booking is advised.
“This way, you will get a guaranteed entry time, enabling us to keep to the necessary social distancing guidelines. And, of course, all our sites are Covid secure, with extra hand washing facilities and sanitizer available.
“We’re thrilled to be opening our doors once again and welcoming visitors back to our sites across the county. We can’t wait to share all the wonderful stories once more!”
There are also other Heritage sites not run by the county council for families to enjoy, including the following:
Lincoln Cathedral
The golden glow of Lincoln Cathedral, the jewel in Lincolnshire’s crown. | Photo: Jason Paul Corrigan
Lincoln Cathedral will reopen again for visitors on May 17. All are invited to visit and have a look around one of Lincolnshire’s most iconic buildings, with volunteer guides on hand to answer any of your historic questions about the cathedral.
A discount admission price of £5 for adults, with under 16s going in free, will be in place from Monday, May 17 to Saturday, June 5 to encourage visitors.
Burghley House
Burghley House in Stamford
Burghley House near Stamford will fully reopen on Wednesday, May 19 – see more details and plan your visit here.
Belton House
The outdoor spaces at Belton House are already open, while The Mansion will be open from May 19, between 12.30pm-5pm Wednesday-Sunday.
International Bomber Command Centre
Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite
The IBCC Gardens, Memorial and Garden Café are already back open. The exhibition galleries and the Hub Cafe (indoors) will reopen on Tuesday, May 18.
East Coast train services can fully resume after a fleet of high-speed trains were grounded because cracks were found under carriages.
The entire fleet of Hitachi 800 model trains were taken off the railways on Saturday, when hairline cracks were found in lifting points underneath the carriages.
Some services from Great Western Railway, Hull Trains, TransPennine Express and London North Eastern Railway were cancelled as a result.
The cancellations affected LNER and Hull Trains services in Grantham over the weekend and for spells on Monday, May 10, though Lincoln was unaffected.
Some high-speed trains had cracks on them and were taken out of service for safety. | Photo: R S Mortiss
Following safety checks, the services can now begin to run again and shortened routes can be reinstated to their normal distance.
A phased return has been planned, with LNER operating a 75% timetable and starting to reintroduce Azuma train services from next week.
Hitachi Rail has said that it will now be undertaking daily tests on the trains that were affected by the cracks, to ensure safety of the passengers is upheld at all times.
Rail Minister Chris-Heaton Harris said: “I welcome the news that operators, working closely with Hitachi and the independent safety regulator, the Office of Road and Rail, have confirmed that many trains can return to the network following rigorous safety tests.
“Trains should begin to return to service after further inspections have been carried out, helping to safely restore the reliable and punctual services on GWR and LNER that passengers deserve.
“Safety is our absolute focus, which is why Hitachi will carry out a comprehensive daily testing regime on affected trains.
“The next step on the route back to normal service levels will be for Hitachi to present their long-term repair plan for the fleet. We expect to see this shortly.
“Whilst this long-term fix can partly be incorporated into the regular service pattern for these trains, we do expect disruption to services for some time to come, but hope passengers understand this work is essential to ensure these issues do not occur again.”
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