Qatar will no longer require Covid testing for visitors before the World Cup

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Qatar will stop requiring Covid tests for its visitors before the World Cup, the emirate’s Ministry of Health announced on Wednesday (26), after indicating that the expected one million tourists no longer need to be vaccinated.

This relaxation in the measures against Covid will apply from November 1st, 19 days before the start of the first World Cup in the Middle East.

The tournament will bring the largest influx of visitors in the history of the country, which has 2.9 million inhabitants.

“Visitors will no longer be required to present negative PCR tests or antigen test results before traveling to Qatar,” the ministry said in a statement.

Qatari citizens and residents will also not need to be tested for Covid 24 hours before returning from abroad, the ministry added.

The World Cup, which will take place from November 20 to December 18, is the first major sporting event open to the public since the start of the pandemic in 2020.

Qatari organizers and FIFA want the tournament to be a sign that the world is overcoming Covid. But the Ministry of Health warned that it will implement special measures “if the situation of the pandemic in the country worsens”.

The new measures will benefit visitors arriving in Qatar from 1 November. After that day, the country will close access to anyone (except its citizens and residents) who does not have a Hayya card, the document given to everyone who has tickets to the stadiums, their guests, players, journalists, officials of the tournament organization and authorities.

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