Coronavirus: Blyth Spartans v South Shields called off
- Published
All 600 tickets had been sold for the match at South Shields' ground.
A football match has been called off in South Tyneside, which has been added to England's watch list as an "area of concern" over coronavirus.
Blyth Spartans had been due to play a friendly at South Shields.
But the visitors decided to postpone the game due to the borough's rise in infection rate, citing safety as their "first priority".
The local council said more lockdown restrictions could be imminent if cases continued to rise in the borough.
South Shields said: "We were informed this morning by Blyth that they were no longer willing to play us due to the rate of infection in South Tyneside.
"We will inform those who bought tickets of how they can apply for refunds on Monday."
The game had been sold out, with 600 tickets bought.
Blyth Spartans added: "Always our first priority is the safety and wellbeing of our supporters, management, players and officials, and having taken into account the current circumstances that surround South Tyneside, we feel we would be putting those people at risk by fulfilling the fixture."
Care home visits suspended
On Friday the council said the latest test data from Public Health England showed an increase of 78 cases in the last seven days across South Tyneside, which equates to 50 cases per 100,000 people.
Most of those who have tested positive in the last two weeks have predominantly been younger adults, the local authority said.
The council has also asked care homes to suspend visits to residents, while council staff and the police are stepping up spot checks at pubs and restaurants.
Director of Public Health Tom Hall said: "We are working with our partners to tackle this spike in cases.
"However now is the time for every person and business in the borough to take heed of the warnings and follow the simple measures to avoid more drastic restrictions.
"Nobody wants to see further restrictions but if the case numbers are not brought under control then additional measures will be considered.
"Both the council and the police will not hesitate to take action against anyone in breach of the guidance."
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LOCAL LOCKDOWNS: What happens if you have one?
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