New Covid strains have emerged in
England and South AfricaFebruary set as deadline by managing director Ben Calveley The
British &
Irish Lions will decide by next month whether the summer tour to
South Africa will go ahead after new strains of
Coronavirus that have emerged there and in
Britain add to the uncertainty over whether fans will be allowed to watch matches.
The government is currently advising anyone against travelling to South Africa which last weekend became the first country in the continent to reach one million cases of Covid-19 and has banned the sale of alcohol as well as imposing a nationwide curfew. The view of the four home unions, and their hosts, is that a tour without supporters – at least 30,000 visiting fans are expected – would neither be desirable nor commercially viable. There is no timetable yet for a vaccination programme in South Africa.