Fans traveling to Qatar to watch the 2022 World Cup will have to present a negative Covid-19 test upon arrival, but vaccination is not mandatory, organizers announced Thursday.
All visitors over the age of 18 must also download a mobile app run by the emirate’s government, called Ehteraz, which tracks people’s movements and health status.
“A green Ehteraz (showing that the user does not have a confirmed case of Covid-19) is required to enter any closed public space,” the organization said.
Visitors must present a negative result from a PCR test performed within 48 hours of arrival or an official rapid test performed within 24 hours prior.
Covid-19 testing for visitors aged six and older is mandatory “regardless of the individual’s vaccination status,” the organizers add.
Vaccination is not compulsory for the estimated 1.2 million visitors expected for the Qatar World Cup period.
Masks must be worn on public transport, including the metro system, which many fans will use to get to the eight stadiums in and around Doha that will host the competition.
Qatar, with an estimated population of at least 2.5 million, although only about 350,000 are citizens of the emirate, has registered almost 450,000 confirmed cases of Covid-19 and 682 deaths from the disease.
More than 97% of the population of Qatar have taken at least one dose of a vaccine against covid-19, according to the latest data.
“Anyone who tests positive for covid-19 while in Qatar will be required to undergo a period of isolation in accordance with the guidelines of the Ministry of Public Health,” the organizers said.
The World Cup in Qatar will be played between November 20 and December 18, with the Portuguese team in Group H, along with Uruguay, Ghana and South Korea.
Source: TSF
