It's the news Arsenal supporters have been expecting: Plans for fans to return to the Emirates on October 3 will not now happen. 

Hopes for a return have been slipping following a spike in Covid cases.

With many in the government believing a second wave is now on us fears of a second wave has led to the UK's Covid-19 alert level moving to 4, meaning transmission is 'high or rising exponentially'.

Speaking to BBC Breakfast on Tuesday morning, cabinet office minister Michael Gove confirmed plans for a staged return of fans would be 'paused'.

"We were looking at a staged programme of more people returning - it wasn't going to be the case that we were going to have stadiums thronged with fans," he said.

"We're looking at how we can, for the moment, pause that programme, but what we do want to do is to make sure that, as and when circumstances allow, get more people back.

"The virus is less likely to spread outdoors than indoors but again it's in the nature of major sporting events that there's a lot of mingling."

The majority of sports in England have been played behind closed doors since lockdown back in March, including Premier League football, the FA Cup final, England's Test cricket matches and two Formula 1 races at Silverstone.

PM Boris Johnson is expected to announce further changes in a public announcment later today.