The prime minister said Qatar will only allow people who are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 to participate in next year's World Cup, and that one million doses will be protected in case global vaccination efforts are delayed. Talking to.
The Gulf Arab state hosts a four-week tournament in November 2022 and the president of global football body FIFA has said that matches will take place in full stadiums.
Prime Minister Sheikh Khalid bin Khalifa bin Abdulaziz Al Thani told newspapers that while most countries expected to vaccinate their citizens by then, Qatar was still taking measures to ensure a successful event.
"We are currently in talks with a company to provide one million doses of COVID-19 vaccines to vaccinate and vaccinate some of those arriving in Qatar," he told state news agency QNA late on Sunday. Said in a comment made, without identification. strong.
It was not immediately clear how those vaccines would be offered. Most coronavirus vaccines require two doses spaced two weeks apart.
Qatari officials previously said they hoped to hold a coronavirus-free tournament and plan to make vaccinations available to attendees who are not already immunized.
Qatar is vaccinating its citizens and residents with Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna Vaccines. It has given at least 2.8 million doses, enough to vaccinate about 50.8% of its population, according to the Reuters COVID-19 tracker.
Sheikh Khalid said the 2021 Arab Cup, which Doha is hosting in December, will reflect Qatar's preparedness to host major tournaments.
He said that a large number of stadiums have been completed and work is in progress on three stadiums including Lusail Stadium, which will host the final match of the World Cup 2022 and is now 90% complete.