All footballers taking part in the I-League starting December will have to be fully vaccinated, except for under-18 players and those who have recently recovered. COVID-19 transition, league CEO Sunando Dhar said on Wednesday.
The league is expected to be held in a bio-secure environment with strict COVID-19 protocols in and around Kolkata.
“It will be mandatory for all players and officials participating in I-League and I-League qualifiers to take both doses of the COVID-19 vaccination. The only exceptions would be players who are under the age of 18 and who cannot be vaccinated because of recent recovery from the infection,” Mr. Dhar said in an interview.
“Double dose vaccination was not mandatory last year, but this time we have made it mandatory,” he said.
Under-18 players and those who haven’t got their jobs because of their recent recovery from COVID-19 will have to undergo testing more often than players who have been vaccinated during the tournament.
“If fully vaccinated players are getting tested every 5-6 days, then they (under-18 players and recently recovered players) will be tested every 3-4 days,” he said. said. All the players and officials will also have to stay in quarantine for six days in their respective hotels after their arrival. He will be tested twice during those six days.
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