The Covid-19 pandemic surges on, with the Omicron variant leading to spikes all over the United Kingdom as the countdown towards the festive period begins.
Two Premier League games have already been called off due to Covid-19 outbreaks within the clubs – so what are the new Premier League rules regarding Covid-19 and will there be more postponements? GOAL takes a look.
Tottenham's fixture against Brentford, originally due to be played on December 12, was the first Premier League game to have been postponed due to a Covid-19 outbreak.
Manchester United's clash with Brentford was also postponed a few days later after the club confirmed that several first-team staff and players tested positive for the virus, leading to first-team operations at training ground Carrington to be ceased.
In addition to Tottenham and Man Utd, Leicester have also recorded positive cases, with several players unable to travel to Italy for their final Europa League group game against Napoli.
Aston Villa manager Steven Gerrard revealed that there were "a couple of staff members and a couple of players", but iterated that the majority tested negative.
Graham Potter stated that there were "three or four" positive cases at Brighton, while Norwich coach Dean Smith said he had one player who was in isolation.
The Premier League handbook itself states that they can "only permit the rearrangement or postponement of a league match in exceptional circumstances".
They state that they will make decisions on a case-by-case basis for each club, and there are no set rules that will determine whether or not a fixture will get cancelled.
However, following the cancellation of Brentford vs Man Utd, the Premier League stated that they will take new "emergency measures" to combat the further spread of Covid-19, with the league's players and staff now having to take a lateral flow test every day in order to access training grounds.
In addition to the daily tests to get into training grounds, players and staff are to now take a PCR test at least twice a week.
It is expected that additional measures such as mask-wearing and social distancing will continue to be enforced.
The Premier League released the following statement upon Man Utd cancelling their fixture against Brentford: "The decision was taken following guidance from medical advisers due to the exceptional circumstances of an ongoing COVID-19 outbreak within Manchester United’s squad. First-team operations at the club’s Carrington Training Complex were closed down today to help control the outbreak and minimise risk of further infection among players and staff.
"The League wishes a quick recovery to those players and staff with Covid-19. The postponed fixture will be rearranged in due course.
"With the health of players and staff the priority, and in light of the recent rise in Covid-19 cases across the country, the Premier League has reintroduced Emergency Measures. These include protocols such as more frequent testing, wearing face coverings while indoors, observing social distancing and limiting treatment time."
The week of December 6 to December 12 yielded the highest number of positive tests in the Premier League this season, a confirmed 42 compared to the previous week's 12. It is also the highest number of positive tests recorded since Project Restart in 2019-20.
The spike in positive cases come at a time when the United Kingdom has been facing yet another Covid-19 outbreak with the new Omicron variant.
The Premier League confirmed that as of October, 69 per cent of players had been fully vaccinated, with 81 per cent having received their first dose.
But concerns remain with those who choose to stay unvaccinated, while booster jabs continue to be implemented in the country for those eligible.
For fans attending matches in England, they will have to produce proof of double vaccination or a negative test to go to events with crowds that exceed 10,000 people.