Panama (AFP) – Local and foreign fans attending matches in Panama for the eight round of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 qualifiers will have to be vaccinated against the coronavirus, while sports authorities have managed to significantly expand capacity for those. meetings.
A similar procedure will be applied in El Salvador, although it is not specified how many fans can enter matches on the home ground of their national team in that country, which begins with the United States on September 2.
The Panamanian Football Federation has announced a mandatory requirement for immunization, when launched this week, to sell tickets for the two matches Panama at home against Costa Rica and Mexico for the first and third matches, on September 2 and 8, respectively.
“It is essential that you are vaccinated so that you can attend the matches in Panama as a local” at the Rommel Fernandez Stadium, he said.
The request comes at a time when Panama has speeded up immunization against COVID-19 due to fears of a spike in infections due to the presence of the delta variant, which has already caused dozens of cases in the Central American country.
The press office of the Panamanian Federation indicated that talks are taking place with the health authorities in order to allow more public, taking into account the mandatory nature of vaccines. They ask to increase the capacity from 25 to 80%.
Honduras, which hosts the United States on September 8, will also allow up to 20% of the audience to make home commitments, while Costa Rica, which plays its first home game against Mexico on September 5, looks determined to celebrate your home games behind you. Closed doors.
Those teams – plus Canada and Jamaica – are competing in the quarter-finals, which will award three direct tickets from the region to the World Cup and one ticket to the fourth to play an intercontinental play-off. The octagon will last through March.
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