The capacity for Serie A stadiums from January 16 to 23 will be reduced to just 5,000 due to growing COVID-19 concerns.
Unlike in other countries, the arenas never went back to full capacity in Italy after the initial lockdown in March 2020.
They had reached 75 per cent, with entry only for those with an EU Green Pass, so with proof of vaccination, of recent recovery from COVID or a negative test posted within 48 hours.
That was reduced back down to 50 per cent for 2022, with a chequerboard seating arrangement to help provide social distancing and masks mandatory at all times.
They are also only allowed in with a Super Green Pass, so vaccination status or recent recovery are mandatory, a negative test is no longer considered sufficient.
Now with the Omicron variant tearing through Europe, the Italian authorities have reduced the capacity again to just 5,000.
As it is from January 16, that means the Italian Supercup between Inter and Juventus at San Siro on January 12 will not be affected.
That can still sell out to 50 per cent capacity.
Capienza limitata a 5.000 spettatori nelle partite delle giornate del campionato di #SerieA in programma il 16 e 23 gennaio 2022
— Giovanni Capuano (@capuanogio) January 8, 2022
Why 5000 if all who enters are vaccinated or recovered. Hope people wake up soon.
Go on then @Rossoneri, I’ll bite. What will we all see when we “wake up”?
That people are beeing manipulated.
In what way and to what end?
Ok, this is crazy. Who are they protecting? Old folks don’t visit stadiums or at least they shouldn’t at the moment. This is honestly killing the competitive football in Italy. They have gone mad.
Just like the CDC in my country telling us that if you are positive for covid you have to stay at home for 10 days, but they now changed it to just 5 without explaining where the number was plucked from. If you are positive with covid and had been vaccinated then you do not need to quarantine despite those people still able to spread and get it. Rules just being made on a whim without scientific evidence.
No one is being ‘manipulated’ and there is no conspiracy. There may be knee jerk reactions by governments that, in retrospect, look pointless and that may be excessive. But the management job governments have is incredibly complex. First of all they have to protect the health service – too much burden on the health service means that non COVID patients are denied the care they need. The govt also has to protect the education system and the greater economy. Too many infections mean absenteeism in teachers, shop workers, factory workers etc. Italy has one of the highest per capita Covid death rates in the world and for a few, frightening months in 2020, was the epicentre of the pandemic outside of China. No one wants to go back to that – not least because Italy’s economy is slowly coming out from a decade of stagnation. Italy cannot afford another Covid ‘crash’. What the govt can and should do is relax the rules on infrastructure and provide financial and tangible support so that football clubs can build out of the pandemic with new, self owned, modern, multi purpose stadiums; stadiums that will attract visitors and investors. Italy – modernise!
Won’t make a difference at the Allianz