Opinion – Marina Izidro: France’s closure to the unvaccinated drastically impacts sport

From Thursday (27), I will no longer need to wear a mask here in England. Nor does it show that I was vaccinated or tested negative for Covid-19 to go to a sports competition, a concert or a nightclub. Everyone can go back to work in person. The vast majority of restrictions are gone. If you watch a Premier League game on TV in a packed stadium, know that no one there has had to prove that they are not infected.

It may seem strange, but I confess that so much freedom makes me even a little uncomfortable. In the UK, we’ve become used to severe lockdowns, no hugs, lonely Christmases and birthdays, a lot of distancing. Prime Minister Boris Johnson says he follows the science, that hospitalizations in London have dropped and that, here, the worst of the omicron variant is over. But while the prime minister releases almost everything, our neighbors have decided to adopt a very different strategy and will have one of the toughest regimes in Europe for those who have not been immunized.

In France, freedom will be for those who took the vaccine. By law, residents or visitors over the age of 16 will have to prove full vaccinations – including the booster, when the time comes – to go to restaurants, museums, sporting events. The test with a negative result of Covid-19 will not be accepted. Anyone who tries to falsify the vaccination pass will be subject to five years in prison and a fine of up to the equivalent of R$450,000.

Some athletes will be impacted, and a lot, with the new rules. The first name that comes to mind is, of course, Novak Djokovic. The world number one, the protagonist of a worldwide embarrassment when he was deported from Australia, now sees the defense of the Roland Garros title in May in jeopardy. There will be no blisters or exceptions for non-immunized tennis players. As expected, the Serb will have a tough year if he doesn’t really want to get vaccinated.

The discussion about the new law is not just about tennis. Real Madrid and Chelsea could be missing for the round of 16 of the Champions League against PSG and Lille, respectively. Uefa announced that, in principle, teams must comply with the protocols.

In the Six Nations rugby tournament, there is a debate about who will or cannot be part of the England team in games on French territory in the coming months. Sport in England, in general, keeps the names of those who have not been vaccinated secret. If a player is not selected for these matches and is physically well, you can imagine why… The mixture of fear of negative repercussions and loss of opportunities in the team itself has already made some athletes change their mind and decide to immunize themselves.

It is impossible to know how long the pandemic will last and which restrictions will remain in place this year, but France wants to set an example and is right to not allow bubbles and exceptions for athletes. It’s not fair for sports stars to have privileges while the rest of the citizens abide by the rules.

In the United Kingdom, authorities use official data to justify the almost total opening, such as the fact that 80% of the adult population has taken the booster dose and 97% have antibodies due to vaccination or infection. Even so, relaxing the rules is considered too quick by some experts, as well as a convenient political strategy for Boris Johnson, who faces allegations of clandestine parties at government headquarters during the pandemic. Just in case, I will continue to wear my mask.