Gayle not rushing fan return for 2022 season
Published:Friday | November 5, 2021 | 12:09 AMDaniel Wheeler/Staff Reporter
JAMAICA ATHLETICS Administrative Association (JAAA) president, Garth Gayle, says that they are not rushing their approach to accommodate fans back for the upcoming season.
His comments come as 5,000 fully vaccinated fans will be allowed into the National Stadium to watch the Reggae Boyz World Cup qualifying match against the United States on November 16, marking the first event with fans at the venue since the COVID-19 pandemic.
Tickets will be purchased online only after fans verify their vaccination status.
With the event, a potential signal that other sporting events may soon be allowed to have fans return for their events, Gayle says that it is still too early to say which meet next season would be an idle target for having spectators return.
“We would make careful note of the state of the pandemic and so I would not be able to say to you one activity vs another. Suffice to say we would take into consideration the state of the pandemic within the country and work with the government agencies along with our team to ensure the safety of all concerned,” Gayle told The Gleaner.
Health Minister Dr Christopher Tufton hinted at the prospective ripple effects from the game, which could see other sporting associations given such privileges to “reward” those who have been vaccinated.
“It’s a pilot, which means, if successful, could pave the way for others,” Tufton said. “Frankly speaking, those who have made the effort and have understood the message and responded to the message to go out and protect themselves and, by extension, their families, their workplaces and their sporting environment, should not or no longer be grouped with those who have not.”
While welcoming the Government’s decision to allow fans back for the game, Gayle says that they will keep monitoring the situation in deciding the opportune time. Additionally, he said that they are targeting meets to begin in early 2022.
Meanwhile, sports medicine physician, Dr Akshai Mansingh, said that while the return of fans for sporting events should be encouraged, he cautioned that any potential number proposed should be controllable so that the risk of a superspreading event is reduced.
“The important thing is that it should be manageable, and manageable does not only mean entry into the stadium, but ensuring that people have their masks on and they are spacing themselves and so on,” Dr Mansingh said.