The prestigious darts competition has been halted since March. On March 12, the sixth round of the Premier League Darts was played in Liverpool, with thousands of darts fans who were still allowed to be present at the time. Due to the outbreak of the Coronavirus, the requisite nights were postponed.

Later it turned out that the new dates were also not feasible. Locations were cancelled and it was decided to play the Premier League in Milton Keynes, just like the World Matchplay last month. Measures are also taken to prevent any spread of the virus. Players are allowed to bring fewer guests. In addition, physical contact must be avoided and people should follow the social distancing rules.

Last Thursday, the British government put in a new barrier. Due to an increasing number of infections in the Netherlands, people travelling from the Netherlands to the United Kingdom must go in self-isolation for 14 days. This also applies to travellers from France, Spain and Belgium, for example.

Despite this, there are a number of options for the PDC to ensure that Michael van Gerwen, Jeffrey de Zwaan and Jermaine Wattimena do not have to be quarantined prior to the resumption of the Premier League Darts. Van Gerwen is one of the regular participants in the competition. De Zwaan and Wattimena make one appearance as 'Challenger' in Milton Keynes.

Athletes can be exempted from the isolation requirement. A request must be submitted to the British government for this. Another possibility is to create a so-called bubble, as happened during the PDC Summer Series.

Players are tested at the hotel on the day of arrival and must be quarantined in their hotel room until the result is negative. They then gain access to the bubble, where a restaurant and play area are located. Players are not allowed to leave the hotel during the event.

The PDC released a short statement after the latest announcement from the UK Government. ''Further to the UK Government’s announcement on Thursday in relation to quarantine for travellers from certain countries, we will clarify the position as soon as we have received appropriate guidance.”

https://twitter.com/OfficialPDC/status/1294195533372940288