Players will need the jab
Premier League players and club staff face compulsory vaccinations if they are to play for their clubs in the coming season, it has been revealed.
As part of a Government plan to keep football going in the face of a winter lockdown, players will now join fans in requiring full Covid-19 vaccination status to be present at matches from October 1st, according to Sportsmail.
While previous rules have required players to take twice-weekly tests, this proposed change will see players have compulsory vaccination of a Covid-19 vaccine, although Athletic reporter Adam Crafton did report that the PFA (Player’s Football Association) has assured that religious exceptions would be taken into consideration.
Going to be interesting, this. Players require double vaccinations by October 1 or won’t be available for selection in the Premier League. PFA say religious arguments against it should be listened to. https://t.co/9En40lNX04
— Adam Crafton (@AdamCrafton_) July 23, 2021
This change will dovetail with the government’s recent announcement earlier that fans would also require a vaccine passport in order to attend matches from October 1st – a change that a large proportion of the match-going public are unhappy about. Vaccines minister Nadhim Zahawi insisted a negative test would “no longer be sufficient” proof a person was free from the virus.
Currently, the official NHS COVID-19 Pass – commonly known as the vaccine passport – is not mandatory but is advised, espescially “in facilities or events where people are likely to be in close proximity to a large number of people from other households for a sustained period of time”.
It remains to be seen which countries will follow suit or implement this safety measure earlier, as the likes of the Netherlands already have vaccine passports and soon the entire EU will have a form of Covid certification.
