Northern Ireland football fans were allowed into Windsor Park stadium on Thursday night, despite the national lockdown.
Paul Faith/Agence France-Presse/Getty Images
More than 1,000 soccer fans were allowed into Northern Ireland’s national stadium on Thursday night, but only once they had entered a COVID-19 “disinfecting pod.”
The pod, built by Northern Irish company 4Ur Protection, takes a person’s temperature before beginning a “mist disinfection process,” using plant-based sanitizer Aktivora. A similar concept has been trialed by Hong Kong International Airport.
Every supporter was made to walk through the pod before taking their seats at Windsor Park. The 1,000 fans were then sat socially distanced in the 18,500-seater stadium.
The supporters ultimately saw Northern Ireland agonizingly lose 2-1 to Slovakia in a play off to qualify for next summer’s delayed Euro 2020 tournament.
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Public-health officials in England have looked at the idea but were reportedly concerned that spraying someone who had COVID-19 was unlikely to reduce the risk of them spreading the virus that causes that disease, according to BBC sports editor Dan Roan.
However, the company claimed on its website that the device “completely disinfects clothing,” and noted that the National Health Service highlights that clothing can spread germs.
Supporters aren’t allowed to watch elite sport in person in England, despite calls for the government to allow them to return to stadiums.
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In September, English Football League chairman Rick Parry said the fact people were allowed in pubs but not in outdoor stadiums was a “little bizarre,” and said a number of clubs had taken steps to create safe environments.
Fans in Germany were allowed to return to stadiums earlier this year before a new national lockdown came into force on Nov. 2, but supporters haven’t stepped foot in a stadium in England since March.
Northern Ireland remains in a ‘circuit-breaker’ national lockdown but the Irish Football Association and the Northern Ireland Executive agreed to allow 1,060 fans in to watch the game.
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