Report: West Ham players & staff require double vaccination

Premier League clubs will be required to organise double COVID-19 vaccination of their players and staff by October 1st, to avoid an enforced break in the event of a winter spike. The UK has moved out of lockdown with the majority of restrictions lifted on July 19, meaning mass gatherings are permitted again and face masks are no longer mandatory.

This has paved the way for crowds to return to football games, with West Ham allowed to play in front of 60,000 fans in the Betway cup game against Atalanta on 7th August .

By the start of the Premier League campaign, stadiums will be back to full capacity, with clubs using pre-season to test safety protocols ahead of the big kickoff.

However, with concerns over a possible spike in COVID-19 cases in the winter, and possibly even another lockdown, the government have put together plans to avoid any disruption to the football calendar.

• Players, staff and fans required double-vaccination by October 1st
• Only those with medical exemption will be permitted to attend games without
• Proof of negative test will no longer be sufficient to gain entry

According to The Athletic, this requires all players and staff to be double-vaccinated by October 1, with fans wishing to attend games also needing proof of vaccination.

The Premier League is said to be “supportive of the plan,” but it is described as a “huge logistical headache” given there needs to be a minimum of eight weeks between the first and second doses.