Spurs To Trial Covid Passes In North London Derby Games
Tottenham Hotspur will trial the use of the ‘NHS Covid Pass’ for supporters when they host Arsenal for their men's and women's pre-season friendlies on August 8th, at 2pm.
Fans wanting to attend must prove they are fully vaccinated against coronavirus or have had a negative test within 48 hours of the match.
The trial comes after a Government announcement that a full vaccination against Covid-19 would be a condition of entry to large events from October 1st.
Supporters under the age of 18 will not form part of the trial nor will they need to present a negative test.
A Spurs statement read: "Tottenham Hotspur will be trialling the use of the NHS COVID Pass to verify the vaccination or Covid status of supporters attending our men's and women's matches against Arsenal on Sunday 8th August.
"This follows recent Government announcements and the necessity for the club to begin preparations for the potential of full vaccination against Covid-19 being a condition of entry to large events from 1st October."
Security for the implementation of this trial will involve passes being checked by a steward between the initial ticket check at the bottom of the stadium steps and ahead of arrival at the turnstiles.
All adult supporters attending the coming men’s and women’s friendly matches with Arsenal on August 8th will be required to present their NHS COVID Pass, generated by the NHS App, on their mobile device as they enter the stadium to confirm they are either fully vaccinated or have received a negative Covid-19 test result within 48 hours of kick-off.
Sports venues in England have been cleared to open at full capacity from July 19th following the UK Government’s announced that Covid-19 restrictions would be lifted.
The Government announced on July 5th that there would be no legal requirement on the use of COVID-19 status certification as a condition of entry for visitors to “any domestic setting”, however, they have since backtracked on this position and declared that spectators will now ‘need to demonstrate fully vaccinated status’ to attend events hosting more than 20,000 people.
The NHS Covid Pass has been utilised during the government’s ‘Events Research Programme’ to assess the wider return of fans in England, which has included Wembley Stadium’s UEFA Euro 2020 matches, the Wimbledon tennis championships and Formula 1’s British Grand Prix.
It is understood that Covid-19 certification is also likely to be deployed for the Community Shield match between Manchester City and Leicester City at Wembley on August 7th .
The Tottenham FC spokesperson added: “The trial will only add one step to the existing stadium entry process that supporters are familiar with and will allow us to control the flow of supporters into the stadium as the additional check is made.
“It also further ensures the safety and comfort of our supporters, players and staff as we begin hosting capacity crowds for the first time since March 2020.”
