Third wave fears keeping sports fans out of stadiums

Sports Minister Nathi Mthethwa has once again pushed back requests from federations to allow fans back into stadiums.

SA Rugby had been hopeful of welcoming local fans for the British and Irish Lions tour, while the Premier Soccer League will be resigned to finishing the season behind closed doors.

NCCC Third wave fears keeping sports fans out 

Mthethwa has deferred to the National Coronavirus Command Council on the matter, with decisions being made based on the prediction of a third wave of a spike in COVID-19 infections.

“You’d recall that earlier on, after March last year, when the president proclaimed the National Disaster for the Covid-19 pandemic, there was this time where everything came to a standstill, including play itself. The sporting fraternity took it upon themselves to understand the situation, and was able to make a case to government for opening up play, and going back to play,” he said.

“And it was upon that that government, particularly from the health perspective, was able to look at the plan and be able to see, well, the plan is good. And therefore, we can go back to play.

“Similarly, this time around, with everything we do, we are guided by health. Guided by epidemiologists, and so on… Those are the people who are guiding us now. It’s not a matter of a Minister of Sport, who would say ‘No, fans go back’.

“What if that becomes a super-spreader? So, we are guided. And in this guidance, we are informed that between May and July, we are facing a possibility of a third wave. Now that should guide us. We can’t, in the midst of a third wave, just get people and go and kill them. So, we are guided.”

Super spreader fears could shut out Bok fans

Mthethwa acknowledged that SA Rugby had put forward a plan to stage the Lions series with fans allowed in at 50% of the venue capacity, hoping to play twice at the largest of South Africa’s stadia, the FNB Stadium. The minister was sceptical that such plans could be pulled off without risking a super spreader event.

“I must mention the fact that both the creative events sector and sporting sector have come together, they’ve put together a plan. For instance, when it comes to rugby and the Irish and British tours for instance, they are proposing that we get at least 50% of the spectators back to stadia,” said Mthethwa.

“Well, that is being looked at, but it must answer the question: If you take FNB (Stadium), which is 90 000 people, and you say 50% – which is 45 000 people – how are you going to ensure that that opening up is not a super-spreader? So, those questions have to be answered, like they did in the past.

“When it comes to football, for instance, they came with the concept of a bio-bubble and so on, and it was an attractive concept. It has been able to be implemented and it worked.

“But right now, we do not decide as individual Departments of Sport, of Tourism… Within the Command Council, we are guided by the health situation, so the health situation is going to guide us.

“Now, taking all of these things into cognisance, especially the fact that we have these doctors saying that we are going to be facing a storm, the third wave… So, what do we do?

“Do we say then that regardless of that, people must just flock to stadiums? And we will be able to pay when they die? No, we don’t have those resources as government.

“We are guided. No individual minister is going to come up with an answer on this matter. But the weekly meeting of the National Command Council, looking at this matter, will always guide the entire society, not one aspect of society.”