Football supporters hoping to attend this year’s Qatar World Cup will have to show proof of a negative COVID-19 test on arrival in Doha, even if they’re already fully vaccinated, as the host nation aims to limit the spread of the virus.
Fans aged six and above must provide a negative result from a PCR test taken in the 48 hours before arriving, or from an official rapid test taken within 24 hours.
World Cup organisers announced on Thursday that all visitors aged 18 or over will also be required to download the government-controlled Ehteraz phone application, which tracks people’s movements and health status.
“A green Ehteraz (showing the user does not have a confirmed case of COVID-19) is required to enter any public closed indoor spaces”, they announced in a statement on Thursday.
Vaccination is not mandatory for the 1.2 million supporters expected to attend the tournament — which kicks off on 20 November and runs until 18 December.
Masks must be worn on public transport in the Gulf country, and those who test positive for the virus while in Qatar will be required to isolate.
Almost 450,000 cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed in Qatar, resulting in 682 deaths so far, according to data gathered by Johns Hopkins University in the US.
This data also suggests that over 97% of Qatar’s population has received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.
