All Serie A footballers must now get jabbed if they want to play, as the Italian government steps up measures to combat the Covid-19 Omicron variant.
La Gazzetta dello Sport reports that any players who want to play the game, whether they are amateurs or professionals, must be vaccinated to take part in an outdoor team sport.
The tough new measures being implemented are also affecting fans too, with the capacity at all Serie A matches reduced from 75% to 50% when the Italian top flight returns from its Christmas break on 6th January.
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Italy’s top league has largely avoided disruption caused by Covid-19 to date, with the Daily Mail reporting that an impressive 98% of all its players are double-vaccinated.
This is in stark contrast to data from the Premier League released in October, which revealed that 81% of players had receive one dose of a Covid vaccine, while only 68% had been double jabbed.
Legendary Italian defender Giorgio Chiellini has helped lead the cause for vaccinations in his country and said on Twitter: “This morning I received the third dose of the Covid-19 vaccine. Thanks to the vaccine and personal protective equipment, we are struggling to return to normal. Let's all do our part, let's get vaccinated for ourselves and to protect the most fragile people.”
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The Serie A season resumes when Bologna host Inter Milan at 11.30am as part of a full fixture list in the Italian top flight.
Reigning champions Inter have 46 points from 19 games – four ahead of cross-city rivals AC Milan, ahead of what looks set to be a thrilling second half of the season.
Featured Image Credit: Image: PA
