Will Premier League pause for Covid-19 circuit break?

The Omicron variant of Covid-19 continues to rear its ugly head, with several Premier League clubs having to postpone their fixtures due to a high number outbreaks within the team.

The festive fixture schedule is busy as it is, but with the likes of Manchester United having had to call off games due to their staff and players testing positive, will the Premier League be paused to prevent even more disruption in the long-term?

GOAL takes a look.

Will the Premier League pause due to Covid-19?

Currently, there are no plans to pause the current Premier League season due to the number of recent Covid-19 outbreaks within the clubs.

A meeting was held with Premier League clubs on Monday, December 20 to discuss postponing fixtures in order to allow clubs to deal with the rising number of Covid-19 outbreaks within the UK.

Several clubs, such as Tottenham and Man Utd, have dealt with several members of both team and staff testing positive for the virus.

No such break, however – at least for the time being – will be enforced.

The Premier League said in a statement: "It was confirmed at a Premier League club meeting today that while recognising a number of clubs are experiencing Covid-19 outbreaks and challenges, it is the League’s collective intention to continue the current fixture schedule where safely possible."

During the 2019-20 season, the Premier League was suspended for four months – from March 2020 to June 2020 – due to disruptions caused by Covid-19.

The official Premier League winter break is still scheduled to take place between January 23 and February 7, 2022.

What else was said in the Premier League meeting?

The Premier League went on to state that is their intention to continue playing fixtures "where safely possible".

"They stated: "The health and wellbeing of all concerned remains our priority and the League will continue to monitor and reflect public health guidance, always proceeding with caution.

The statement continued: "A range of issues were discussed at this afternoon’s meeting, including the adaption of the Premier League Covid-19 postponement process in response to the impact of the Omicron variant.

The Premier League also encouraged players to get vaccinated against Covid-19, and for booster shots to be taken up on across the division: "The League also confirmed to its clubs today that 92 per cent of players and club staff have received one, two or three COVID-19 vaccination doses, with 84 per cent of players on the vaccination journey.

"Players who have had one or two doses are required to wait for the appropriate time period before receiving either their second or booster vaccinations.

"The League continues to work with clubs to encourage vaccination among players and club staff, as well as promoting the Government’s public-health vaccination messaging to clubs and the wider public."

How many Premier League games in 2021-22 have been cancelled due to Covid-19 outbreaks?

READ: Which Premier League games have been cancelled due to Covid-19?

An increasing number of Premier League games have been postponed due to positive cases within clubs.

Brighton vs Tottenham, originally due to be played on December 12, was the first Premier League clash during the 2021-22 season to be cancelled due to a Covid-19 outbreak.

Man Utd then announced that there were a large number of positive cases within the team and staff, which led to their December 14 game against Brentford to be postponed.

Burnley vs Watford, Leicester vs Tottenham, Man Utd vs Brighton, Southampton vs Brentford, Watford vs Crystal Palace, West Ham vs Norwich, Aston Villa vs Burnley and Everton vs Leicester all got postponed as well.