The Sunday Mail
Online Reporters
FIVE sporting disciplines have received the greenlight to welcome spectators to their competitions as Government continues with its carefully considered drive to bring back normalcy to various sectors of the economy that had been hampered by the Covid-19 pandemic.
Government, through the Sports and Recreation Commission (SRC), on Thursday gave the nod to football, rugby, cricket, motorsport and equestrian sport to allow limited numbers of fully vaccinated fans to watch games.
In a statement, the SRC said the permission had been granted in response to the individual applications that each of the associations had made.
ZIFA are one of those associations that have been itching to have spectators back and had twice appealed to the Confederation of African Football (CAF) to be allowed fans for the Warriors’ World Cup qualifying home games against South Africa and Ghana.
On Thursday, ZIFA joined the likes of the Zimbabwe Rugby Union and Zimbabwe Cricket in being granted their wish by Government, albeit, with strict Covid-19 protocols.
“The Sports and Recreation Commission (SRC) is pleased to inform the public that the following sport codes have been granted an exemption to allow spectators for their sporting events pursuant to the applications made by the respective National Sport Associations,” read part of the statement.
“Football matches will be allowed 2 000 fans, while rugby, motorsport and equestrian will each be permitted 250 fans into their grounds.
“Cricket will be permitted to allow 1 000 fans into their grounds, with Zimbabwe Cricket using next month’s Bangladesh women’s series in Bulawayo as a trial run.
“However, the exemption is only for fully vaccinated fans, with each sport expected to adhere to strict Covid-19 protocols.”
Some of these protocols are: the standard zoning of stadia to separate the players, technical staff and others in the teams’ bio-bubbles and the allocation of respective bays -zones to be arranged prior to the match and advised to all admitted persons.
“All fans are to be fully vaccinated, bring their cards as proof and adhere to prevailing Covid-19 protocols,’’ the Commission said.
The SRC has also demanded that detailed nominal lists of spectators admitted to the match should be placed at designated gate entry points, with Covid-19 compliance teams required to maintain special Covid-19 registers at respective gate entry points, to capture and record results for temperature readings.
