Covid: Football fans welcome new rules for venues

Many football fans in England have welcomed new measures aimed at halting the spread of the Omicron Covid variant.

The new measures, which were announced last week by Prime Minister Boris Johnson, include showing proof of vaccination or a negative test result at venues such as soccer stadiums and settings with larger crowds.

Fans lined up in London to watch home side Crystal Palace take on Southampton in the Premier League mostly voiced support for the measures, though some did dissent.

Parliament passed the new rules on Tuesday though 99 members of Johnson's ruling Conservative Party voted against them in a sign of increasing discontent with his leadership.

The new rules apply to unseated indoor events with 500 people or more, unseated outdoor events with over 4,000 people and events with more than 10,000 attendees.

Southampton fan Matt said: "I think it is good for general health, otherwise there wouldn't be any games at all eventually and we eventually will have to watch it at home and maybe that is not as good as coming to the grounds."

Crystal Palace fan James agreed, saying: ""It's got to be done, to be honest with you, the way things are, and it's spiking at the moment. I'll go along with it.

"I appreciate that there are so many people coming to these games so safety's key for everyone and the fans. So, I'm all for it."

But Steve felt it was being used as a "diversionary tactic by the government.

"It's just trying to sort of look over here while we're doing different things over there, you know. I mean, look how many people are here tonight. If there was a real genuine problem with Covid then would this even be allowed? I wouldn't say so.

"It's really dangerous to go to supermarkets, but this isn't."

Britain has registered almost 4,500 cases of Omicron, with 10 people hospitalised and one person dying after contracting the variant.

Elsewhere, the Premier League on Wednesday announced new measures to combat the spread of Covid-19.

In a statement published on its website, Chief Executive Richard Masters said there will be Covid-19 status checks at every Premier League ground and fans urged not to travel if they are displaying any symptoms.

The declaration, to be completed prior to match-day, requires fans over the age of 15 to confirm whether they have a valid NHS pass or a negative test from the previous 48 hours.

Masters said the decision came after the Premier League announced the highest weekly number of Covid-19 cases since May last year, with 42 players testing positive.

The rise in cases has already affected match scheduling with Brighton's home game against Tottenham Hotspur being called off while Manchester United suffered an outbreak of Covid-19 among players and staff on Sunday, leading to the postponement of their Tuesday fixture against Brentford.