OXFORD United fans will have to follow a code of conduct when they return to the Kassam Stadium.

The government is set to announce a list of obligations for supporters attending matches once coronavirus restrictions are lifted next week.

According to The Times newspaper, fans will not be allowed to hug or high-five people outside of their social bubble, but singing and shouting is permitted.

They will also have to declare they will not attend if they display Covid symptoms and wear face masks when entering or exiting stadia, although supporters can take them off in the stands.

The government is due to announce the restrictions for each area of England today, with the city of Oxford in tier two before lockdown.

Under the guidelines announced earlier this week, that would see a maximum of 2,000 U’s fans initially allowed to watch home games.

The club will meet the Safety Advisory Group this week to plan for the return of supporters, although it is not yet confirmed whether United would seek to get fans in for the visit of Hull City next Saturday.

U’s boss Karl Robinson welcomed the government announcement, adding: “It’s great news for everyone. It won’t be long before we get to see people back.”

Last week, the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport announced a £300million ‘Winter Survival Package’ of loans and grants to sports facing financial losses caused by the absence of fans.

Pilot events with up to 1,000 people were held in September, before plans for supporters to return in October were shelved due to a rise in Covid cases.

The English Football League (EFL) is considering moving some fixtures scheduled for next Tuesday to the following day so fans can attend.

Chairman Rick Parry told BBC Radio 4’s today programme: “Clearly we have a number of games taking place on 1 December, in theory we will be as flexible as we can if they can be moved to 2 December. But we don’t know which clubs will be in which tier yet.

“We won’t know that until Thursday.

“We will need permissions from the safety advisory groups, we need to know this is done properly so it’s one step at a time.”

He added: “At League One and League Two level it could be very significant.

“It’s not just the money, it’s a very welcome return to an atmosphere, and if we get 4,000 at League Two level it can be a very welcome lifeline.”