Fans traveling to Qatar to watch the 2022 World Cup matches will be required to provide a negative test for Covid-19 on arrival, but vaccination is not mandatory, organizers announced on Thursday.
All visitors 18 years and older must also download a mobile app from the government of the emirate called Ehteraz, which tracks people’s movements and health status.
“A green Ehteraz (proving that the user does not have a confirmed case of covid-19) is required to enter a closed public space,” the organization said.
Visitors must be able to provide a negative result of a PCR test performed within 48 hours of arrival or an official rapid test performed within the previous 24 hours.
Testing for Covid-19 for visitors six years and older is mandatory “regardless of the individual’s vaccination status,” the organizers add.
Vaccination is not mandatory for the approximately 1.2 million visitors expected from Qatar for the World Cup period.
Masks must be worn on public transport, including the metro system, which many fans will use to reach the eight stadiums in and around Doha where the match will take place.
Qatar, with an estimated population of at least 2.5 million, although only about 350,000 are citizens of the emirate, has recorded nearly 450,000 confirmed cases of Covid-19 and 682 deaths from the disease.
According to the latest data, more than 97% of the population in Qatar has had at least one dose of a vaccine against Covid-19.
“Anyone who tests positive for Covid-19 while in Qatar must undergo a period of isolation in accordance with Health Ministry guidelines.”the organizers said.
The World Cup in Qatar will take place between November 20 and December 18, with the Portuguese team in Group H, with Uruguay, Ghana and South Korea.
Source: DN
