By No vaccine passports needed for Grimsby games
Boris Johnson’s press conference on Wednesday night brought in a raft of changes for the country as the government attempts to curb the spread of Covid, one of which was the introduction of vaccine passports.
Mariners fans were left in the dark following the announcement, asking whether they needed a vaccine passport to watch their team.
A vaccine passport, is a document which shows that you have had at least two doses of the Coronavirus vaccine and are now required for events with at least 10,000 people.
As Blundell Park’s capacity falls just below that threshold – at 9,052 – vaccine passports will not be required.
Covid vaccine passports, or a negative lateral flow test, will be required in any indoor unseated venue with more than 500 people; any outdoor unseated venue with more than 4,000 people and all venues with more than 10,000 people.
While home games are unaffected, it is likely that away fans may require either a vaccine passport or negative test for big away games at National League rivals.
Wrexham, Notts County and Stockport County have capacity stadiums which go over the 10,000 threshold.
Just last month, Notts County broke the record attendance at a National League game, housing 12,843 people at Meadow Lane during a 2-0 victory over Solihull Moors.
The changes will come into effect on Wednesday 15 December.
These changes come as the government have enacted “Plan B”, as Health Secretary Sajid Javid said that Omicron cases are likely to be “around 10,000”, but have not yet been recorded.
“We need to slow the spread of the virus to buy ourselves the time to get more boosters into arms, especially in older and more vulnerable people,” said Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
Mandatory mask wearing will be made compulsory in most indoor areas, however there are exceptions when it is “not practical”, such as when eating, drinking, exercising or drinking.
This means that it is unlikely that masks will be made compulsory in football stands, however they will be required in the club shop – and have been since 30 November.
