Capacity crowd for UAE football stadia

Article posted by Coliseum, February 15^th, 2022

Image: MJR Group Ltd./Coliseum

Starting on February 15^th, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) will ease capacity and social distance restrictions imposed after the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic globally in order to check the spread of the deadly coronavirus.

The ‘MSN’ stated that sports facilities such as football stadiums will operate at 100 percent capacity while maintaining the Al Hosn app’s Green Pass protocol. Under the new guidelines, all visitors must have a Green Pass on their Al Hosn app or a negative PCR test no more than 96 hours old to enter the stadium.

The above decision comes in the wake of the decline in Omicron-driven coronavirus cases in the country since January 22^nd when cases had reached 3,000 per day. Since then, the daily cases have been on the decline. On February 13^th, the UAE reported 1,266 new cases of coronavirus and 2,513 recoveries.

A statement sent out by the National Emergency Crisis and Disaster Management Authority (NCEMA) of UAE read, “The remarkable commitment of community members and their effective contributions to the implementation of precautionary and preventive measures helped decrease the number of cases recorded, with a clear decrease in the admission rate of patients with COVID-19 in hospitals.”

On February 9^th, 2022, the NCEMA had announced in a briefing that the capacity of people in entertainment venues, shopping centers, restaurants and cafes, worship places and various means of transportation would be lifted from mid-February.

The ‘MSN’ further stated that however, the authority announced that each Emirate will decide about the percentage for operating capacity for different social events.

The Authority emphasized that residents should still wear masks, maintain social distancing and sanitization for their own safety.

The NCEMA urged residents to get both doses of the COVID-19 vaccine. And those who are fully vaccinated should get booster shots to improve their immunity.

As per the NCEMA announcement, it’s necessary to provide a Green Pass on the Al Hosn app to access various public places. It also announced that the crisis and disaster management committees in each Emirate will take responsibility for determining the capacity in the Emirate as well as easing for strict procedures and adjusting the capacity according to indicators.

Al Hosn is the UAE’s official app for contact tracing and health status related to COVID-19. The Al Hosn app has features to help protect each individual’s health. One has to download or update the app to see his or her status (green, grey or red) based on his or her most recent RT-PCR test and vaccination status, as well as vaccination information and certificate, any travel testing and a live quick response (QR) code.

UAE Pro League

The UAE Pro League updated protocol for fans’ entry to stadiums.

The ‘UAE Pro League’ stated that the UAE Pro League, in coordination with the National Emergency Crisis and Disaster Management Authority (NCEMA) and the UAE Football Association (UAE FA), has updated the protocol for fans’ entry to the stadiums.

Approving the Green Pass System or presenting a negative PCR test less than 96 hours prior to the game entry will be allowed to all fans aged 12 and above;
Allowing those aged under 12 to be present in the stands provided they have received UAE-approved COVID-19 vaccine or have presented a negative PCR test conducted less than 96 hours prior to the game; and
Increasing the fans’ capacity in stadiums to 100 percent in all UAE Pro League competitions.

The UAE Pro League, known for sponsorship reasons as the ADNOC Pro League, is the top professional football league in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

Waleed Ibrahim Al Hosani, CEO, UAE Pro League, is a Member of Coliseum Strategic Committee.

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