*Please see UPDATED version on the Tigers website of this story on Tuesday afternoon*

Following Government notification that Leicester is among the areas affected by a new variant of Covid-19, Leicester Tigers have issued this information for supporters:

Government guidance is that travel in and out of eight areas of the country – Bolton, Blackburn, Kirklees, Bedford, Burnley, Hounslow and North Tyneside as well as Leicester – should be avoided unless essential.

No further information has been received at this stage and the club hopes that arrangements for the return of supporters to Mattioli Woods Welford Road will be unaffected with a reduced crowd due to return for the final home game of the season, against Bristol Bears on Saturday, June 5.

We will provide further updates as soon as we know any more.

Book With Confidence

It is important to us that we give you confidence and peace of mind when purchasing tickets for events at Mattioli Woods Welford Road and can assure you that all of our tickets, hospitality and events bookings are guaranteed to be refunded in the event that we are unable to allow you to attend due to Government restrictions. This includes any reduced-capacity games or matches played behind closed doors on health and safety grounds.

We are desperately keen to see Tigers supporters back in the stadium after such a long absence, but only if it is safe to do so.

We have been working with Premiership Rugby Limited, the RFU and the Sports Grounds Safety Authority to establish a safe return of crowds to the home of the Tigers.

For the Tigers fixture on June 5, social distancing will remain in place with a reduced capacity of around 6,000 and we hope to welcome larger crowds in line with plans for further relaxation of Covid rules after June 21 with the England v Scotland ‘A’ fixture (Sunday, June 27) and The Varsity Matches (Sunday, July 4) to follow.

Tickets for these games are available now, with the promise of a refund in the event of any changes.

In the event of further reduction in crowd numbers or any movement of the scheduled June 21 announcement, supporters who have booked earliest will have priority on keeping their place, though there may be the need to move your seats within an area.

Full details of how you will be refunded will be supplied in the unfortunate event that we are unable to have you join us.

Safety measures

We are hopeful that the latest guidelines do not affect forthcoming fixtures, where the following measures are in place at the stadium:

• Issue of e-tickets only to gain access via phone or print at home (no printed tickets will be issued by the ticket office)
• The lead booker will need to be sign a Covid declaration form for their group
• You must wear a face covering, unless eating or drinking, or medically exempt
• We may have to instigate staggered entry times
• We may have to take your temperature on arrival
• One-way systems in place
• Following guidelines on the Government’s NHS Track and Trace
• No bags or food and drink 
• If you have any symptoms or fail a temperature test you will not be allowed into the stadium