One German soccer club took a unique approach to seating during the coronavirus pandemic, offering free testing to more than 20,000 fans in an effort to pack its stadium.
Union Berlin plans to test up to 22,012 people (the capacity of its stadium) prior to each match, the club announced on Friday. Attendees must test negative for the contagion within 24 hours of games and bring confirmation of their health to be allowed into the stadium, according to the Associated Press.
While other clubs have opted to attempt social distancing for fans, Union Berlin President Dirk Zingler said his team’s venue is not conducive to doing so, given that 80% of the stadium features terraces where fans typically stand.
“Our stadium experience doesn’t work with social distancing, and if we aren’t allowed to sing and shout, then it’s not Union,” Zingler said. “We want to ensure as best we can that nobody is infected at our sold-out stadium — this applies to Union club members and the away supporters.”
“To implement such a plan is an enormous organizational and economic challenge, which we are happy to tackle with all our might. It means that we as a football club will carry the costs of implementing the necessary measures ourselves,” he added.
The club’s plan might hit some roadblocks as a mass wave of tests prior to games could put a strain on Berlin’s overall testing capacity. Additionally, Union Berlin’s first home league game of the season could come as soon as Sept. 18, but Berlin instituted a ban on large gatherings until late October.
There have been about 200,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Germany and at least 9,000 deaths since the pandemic began, according to the latest count by Johns Hopkins University.
