Dubai: Qatar has announced that fans at next year’s World Cup will not be allowed in stadiums unless they are vaccinated against coronavirus, local media reported.
The Gulf country said it is trying to source a million doses to give to supporters who have not had the jab in their home country.
“When the date of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 comes, most countries of the world will have vaccinated and immunised their citizens,” the Qatar prime minister, Sheikh Khalid bin Khalifa bin Abdulaziz Al Thani, said.
“Due to the possibility that some countries will not be able to vaccinate all their citizens, Qatar will not allow fans to enter stadiums without receiving a full vaccination against the virus.”, Sheikh Khalid added.
He noted that the country was currently negotiating with a company to obtain the doses and said the goal was to protect the health of citizens and residents.
The tournament will kick off on November 21, 2022 to avoid the harsh Middle East summer.
Qatar has only reported 585 deaths and 220,9800 cases through the pandemic.
