The near empty London Stadium
CandH Exclusive by Hugh Southon
West Ham have various plans in place as they prepare for a hoped for return of fans to the London Stadium.
The club had been making arrangements for several weeks ahead of the government announcing yesterday the public could be re-admitted to stadia in varying numbers.
Among the early schemes is of course temperature checking before entry to the stadium is allowed and the idea that family groups will be granted tickets with each other can be ruled out.
An entirely random lottery will be set up and tickets will ensure people are seating in alternate seats in order to observe social distancing requirements. Corporate members will take their chance in the lottery along with everybody else.
Swapping seats – should a fan see a friend in his block – will also be ruled out as they are unlikely to be able to prove they belong to the same ‘bubble’ as that person.
CandH has also departures from the stadium will be staggered block by block to eliminate close contact on the way to trains and buses.
The club see that as where the highest risk of infection exists and thus will ensure that those fortunate enough to get a ticket are made as safe as possible on their return home.
If you find yourself in the middle of a row and need to use the toilet, how do you get past the others in that row yet follow distancing rules?