Why ending all COVID restrictions surrounding football is so important

[bingo70]

Looking at the hearts game as an example, there’s now going to be around 15,000 people watching the game in groups in pubs snd mates houses when there’ll be 2 stands lying empty where the could have watched it in an outdoor environment that’s much safer.

In answer to the OPs point, that for me is why it’s so important to get people back in grounds. Simply, it’s a safer environment than the alternative option if gathering in pubs and other peoples houses to watch it, where they can cuddle all they want without without being judged by the council.

[ABZHFC]

The thing is with restrictions, particularly surrounding football, is that there is such an obvious status quo bias in play. If someone had told you in March 2020 that we are shutting down the country and you will not see a live football match for another 18 months because of a virus that is killing around 7 people a day, you would have looked at them as if they were crazy. But because of all the (justified) trauma that has been suffered in the last 18 months, we maintain restrictions that are now utterly disproportionate and quite possibly causing more harm than good at this point. So much of it comes down to governments (of all stripes) having to be seen to 'do something' in response, regardless of how actually effective their actions can be.

I just hope the Scottish Government maintains its bottle and goes for a full unlocking on the 9th of August, and that includes the mandatory usage of face coverings, which should absolutely become optional. I would rather be kicked out of a stadium for not wearing one than endure 90 minutes with one on, and as for the idea of social distancing and only being able to sit in groups of 4, get that to **** as well. We have all done our bit, we have collectively suffered, we have got vaccinated, it is now time for people to realise that we cannot be captive to 'the science' for years to come, and that life pre-March 2020 was also full of risk and turbulence, but we rightly believed that they were risks worth taking in order to live a full and happy life.

[Up The Bracket]

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Snitch.

Snitch when it’s Hibs players/staff but “doing the right thing following the rules” when it’s Hibs fans 😂

[Stuart93]

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I was kind of hoping someone would say that.
What is the finish date of Covid? And are new variants now permanently defeated? I don’t blame you personally but there’s a general amount of complacency going on.

I would say the middle of the pandemic was probably when their was a record high of people losing their lives to the virus? We’re nowhere near they numbers anymore and I very much doubt we’ll see they kind of
numbers again. That’s what I’m basing my “not in the middle anymore” on

Nope new variants are still cropping up but they aren’t having anywhere near as much effect on the number of deaths now that people are vaccinated. I was a big supporter of lockdowns etc when the virus was at its deadliest but that’s not the case anymore. For all of these new variants popping up the number of people testing positive was at its lowest since 1st of June yesterday.

[AugustaHibs]

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The thing is with restrictions, particularly surrounding football, is that there is such an obvious status quo bias in play. If someone had told you in March 2020 that we are shutting down the country and you will not see a live football match for another 18 months because of a virus that is killing around 7 people a day, you would have looked at them as if they were crazy. But because of all the (justified) trauma that has been suffered in the last 18 months, we maintain restrictions that are now utterly disproportionate and quite possibly causing more harm than good at this point. So much of it comes down to governments (of all stripes) having to be seen to 'do something' in response, regardless of how actually effective their actions can be.

I just hope the Scottish Government maintains its bottle and goes for a full unlocking on the 9th of August, and that includes the mandatory usage of face coverings, which should absolutely become optional. I would rather be kicked out of a stadium for not wearing one than endure 90 minutes with one on, and as for the idea of social distancing and only being able to sit in groups of 4, get that to **** as well. We have all done our bit, we have collectively suffered, we have got vaccinated, it is now time for people to realise that we cannot be captive to 'the science' for years to come, and that life pre-March 2020 was also full of risk and turbulence, but we rightly believed that they were risks worth taking in order to live a full and happy life.

Great post.

[Brightside]

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Looking at the hearts game as an example, there’s now going to be around 15,000 people watching the game in groups in pubs snd mates houses when there’ll be 2 stands lying empty where the could have watched it in an outdoor environment that’s much safer.

In answer to the OPs point, that for me is why it’s so important to get people back in grounds. Simply, it’s a safer environment than the alternative option if gathering in pubs and other peoples houses to watch it, where they can cuddle all they want without without being judged by the council.

The Hearts numbers are weird. They could have asked for much more.

[Peevemor]

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The Hearts numbers are weird. They could have asked for much more.

Explication here - https://www.heartsfc.co.uk/news/arti...apacity-update

As was the case for our home Premier Sports Cup fixture against Inverness CT, the Club submitted a ‘Physical Distanced Capacity’ application to Edinburgh City Council. Our initial application sought permission to welcome 9,920 supporters into the ground.


We were subsequently advised by the local authority that, based on the need to ensure a 1-meter distance between each person within the stadium, our maximum Physical Distanced Capacity would be 6,047 as, in order to ensure said 1-meter distance, we are required to have two empty seats between each person.


For our first game at Tynecastle following this advice we were allowed 50% of the Physical Distanced Capacity. Accordingly, for last Sunday’s fixture against Inverness CT we were permitted to host 3,023 supporters.


For our second game (Celtic this coming Saturday) we are allowed 75% of the Physical Distanced Capacity. Accordingly, the number permitted for Saturday is 4,535.


Should restrictions remain unchanged for our next home fixture (vs Aberdeen on August 21st), we would expect to be allowed to welcome 6,047 supporters (100% of our max. Physical Distanced Capacity).

So the 9th of August thing looks like 100% of "Physical Distanced Capacity" as opposed to normal capacity. Is everyone aware of this?

[oneone73]

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Explication here - https://www.heartsfc.co.uk/news/arti...apacity-update

No wonder it's so small if they're having to install that many meters.
Does no one proof-read her stuff?

[Peevemor]

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No wonder it's so small if they're having to install that many meters.
Does no one proof-read her stuff?

Is it still her?

[nonshinyfinish]

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No wonder it's so small if they're having to install that many meters.
Does no one proof-read her stuff?

If they put in smart meters it'll at least bump up the average intelligence in the ground on match day.

[flash]

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Explication here - https://www.heartsfc.co.uk/news/arti...apacity-update



So the 9th of August thing looks like 100% of "Physical Distanced Capacity" as opposed to normal capacity. Is everyone aware of this?

No because restrictions should be lifted on the 9th.

[oneone73]

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Is it still her?

Dunno, reads like her. Point still stands though

[bingo70]

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Explication here - https://www.heartsfc.co.uk/news/arti...apacity-update



So the 9th of August thing looks like 100% of "Physical Distanced Capacity" as opposed to normal capacity. Is everyone aware of this?

I saw that and did wonder what they were talking about.

Surely this is just another thing Hearts have got wrong rather than the rest of the country being wrong?

[AugustaHibs]

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Explication here - https://www.heartsfc.co.uk/news/arti...apacity-update



So the 9th of August thing looks like 100% of "Physical Distanced Capacity" as opposed to normal capacity. Is everyone aware of this?

“Should restrictions remain unchanged”

The restrictions will be changing on 9th august, all going well.

[nonshinyfinish]

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I saw that and did wonder what they were talking about.

Surely this is just another thing Hearts have got wrong rather than the rest of the country being wrong?

They say "should restrictions remain unchanged", i.e. it's what would happen if the game were played under current restrictions, because the 9th Aug lifting of restrictions hasn't happened for whatever reason.

It's a bit confusingly worded, but I don't think they're wrong.

[hibsbollah]

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I would say the middle of the pandemic was probably when their was a record high of people losing their lives to the virus? We’re nowhere near they numbers anymore and I very much doubt we’ll see they kind of
numbers again. That’s what I’m basing my “not in the middle anymore” on

Nope new variants are still cropping up but they aren’t having anywhere near as much effect on the number of deaths now that people are vaccinated. I was a big supporter of lockdowns etc when the virus was at its deadliest but that’s not the case anymore. For all of these new variants popping up the number of people testing positive was at its lowest since 1st of June yesterday.

It’s so obvious it surely doesn’t have to be said If all this complacency was before, not after, we’ve already had multiple peaks and troughs, times when the worst was supposed to be over, I’d understand it a bit better. I have no idea what the numbers are going to look like in 3 months and neither do you.

[Peevemor]

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If they put in smart meters it'll at least bump up the average intelligence in the ground on match day.

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No because restrictions should be lifted on the 9th.

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I saw that and did wonder what they were talking about.

Surely this is just another thing Hearts have got wrong rather than the rest of the country being wrong?

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“Should restrictions remain unchanged”

The restrictions will be changing on 9th august, all going well.

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They say "should restrictions remain unchanged", i.e. it's what would happen if the game were played under current restrictions, because the 9th Aug lifting of restrictions hasn't happened for whatever reason.

It's a bit confusingly worded, but I don't think they're wrong.

Yeah, it probably should have been clarified in the statement.

[calumhibee1]

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The thing is with restrictions, particularly surrounding football, is that there is such an obvious status quo bias in play. If someone had told you in March 2020 that we are shutting down the country and you will not see a live football match for another 18 months because of a virus that is killing around 7 people a day, you would have looked at them as if they were crazy. But because of all the (justified) trauma that has been suffered in the last 18 months, we maintain restrictions that are now utterly disproportionate and quite possibly causing more harm than good at this point. So much of it comes down to governments (of all stripes) having to be seen to 'do something' in response, regardless of how actually effective their actions can be.

I just hope the Scottish Government maintains its bottle and goes for a full unlocking on the 9th of August, and that includes the mandatory usage of face coverings, which should absolutely become optional. I would rather be kicked out of a stadium for not wearing one than endure 90 minutes with one on, and as for the idea of social distancing and only being able to sit in groups of 4, get that to **** as well. We have all done our bit, we have collectively suffered, we have got vaccinated, it is now time for people to realise that we cannot be captive to 'the science' for years to come, and that life pre-March 2020 was also full of risk and turbulence, but we rightly believed that they were risks worth taking in order to live a full and happy life.

[GreenCastle]

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It’s so obvious it surely doesn’t have to be said If all this complacency was before, not after, we’ve already had multiple peaks and troughs, times when the worst was supposed to be over, I’d understand it a bit better. I have no idea what the numbers are going to look like in 3 months and neither do you.

No one does but if you look at the trends and graphs plus available data alongside previous pandemics it does seem to correlate that we are through the worst of this.

Of course new variants etc could exist but even the research is now showing the Delta variant isn’t as bad as first thought.

I would be agreeing with you more if they hadn’t made and distributed a vaccine in record time but do you really think those making vaccines are sitting doing nothing. They are working towards the future and new variants and ways to make covid easier to deal with..1 jab..tablets etc.

I know many are still being cautious which is fine but especially in Scotland when a high % are vaccinated with 1 dose and getting 2nd doses we should be looking forward rather than worrying about the next issue which could be 5 or 10 years down the line.

[GreenCastle]

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The thing is with restrictions, particularly surrounding football, is that there is such an obvious status quo bias in play. If someone had told you in March 2020 that we are shutting down the country and you will not see a live football match for another 18 months because of a virus that is killing around 7 people a day, you would have looked at them as if they were crazy. But because of all the (justified) trauma that has been suffered in the last 18 months, we maintain restrictions that are now utterly disproportionate and quite possibly causing more harm than good at this point. So much of it comes down to governments (of all stripes) having to be seen to 'do something' in response, regardless of how actually effective their actions can be.

I just hope the Scottish Government maintains its bottle and goes for a full unlocking on the 9th of August, and that includes the mandatory usage of face coverings, which should absolutely become optional. I would rather be kicked out of a stadium for not wearing one than endure 90 minutes with one on, and as for the idea of social distancing and only being able to sit in groups of 4, get that to **** as well. We have all done our bit, we have collectively suffered, we have got vaccinated, it is now time for people to realise that we cannot be captive to 'the science' for years to come, and that life pre-March 2020 was also full of risk and turbulence, but we rightly believed that they were risks worth taking in order to live a full and happy life.

This - if people don’t feel comfortable or feel at risk then they can make a choice to stay away or get tested after attending. Their is less risk going to the football than the supermarket.

The majority want to return to watching football outdoors without masks and clubs want fans back in. Scottish football is going to fall further behind other leagues unless they allow revenue streams to open up again.

[Sir David Gray]

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Looking at the hearts game as an example, there’s now going to be around 15,000 people watching the game in groups in pubs snd mates houses when there’ll be 2 stands lying empty where the could have watched it in an outdoor environment that’s much safer.

In answer to the OPs point, that for me is why it’s so important to get people back in grounds. Simply, it’s a safer environment than the alternative option if gathering in pubs and other peoples houses to watch it, where they can cuddle all they want without without being judged by the council.

Absolutely - it makes no sense to me at all.

[AugustaHibs]

I really don’t understand the mentality of worrying about ‘vaccine evading mutations’

That’s going to happen/ not happen whether there’s 20k folk in a football ground. Can’t keep running from it forever and it’s a shame that people have became so risk averse and I fully believe that’s down to scaremongering from media outlets. Even in 2019 there were diseases/illnesses/viruses that could kill you.

We are fast approaching the point where we’ve done all we can.

[Smartie]

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I really don’t understand the mentality of worrying about ‘vaccine evading mutations’

That’s going to happen/ not happen whether there’s 20k folk in a football ground. Can’t keep running from it forever and it’s a shame that people have became so risk averse and I fully believe that’s down to scaremongering from media outlets. Even in 2019 there were diseases/illnesses/viruses that could kill you.

We are fast approaching the point where we’ve done all we can.

Because it’s still the theoretical risk that has the potential to blow all the progress we’ve made apart.

The chances of mutations happening are much, much higher when there are billions of viruses in thousands of carriers, spreading them far and wide, giving them new immune systems for them to evolve their way around.

That and the long covid elephant in the room are the two main current problems we have.

Nobody wants any of this to go on any longer than it has to and everything points to us being close to normality again.

The risk is small, but many folk will be anxious whenever that risk is any higher than it needs to be, and that’s where we are whenever there is any “wave” of sorts.

It’s better to acknowledge that a risk is present and small than to shut your eyes, stick your fingers in your ears and pretend it doesn’t exist when it does.

[lyonhibs]

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Maybe part of living with this virus DOES include mask wearing and other restrictions, this in fact could be how we live properly from now on.

Perhaps those who are so against the restrictions may have to concede to them in order for society to get back to some form of normal.

I think those who think we will go back to how things were, Pre-Covid, may be in for a surprise.

Your last paragraph is spot on. Some disappointed people I suspect if we think that a switch is going to be flicked on August 9th and we're going to fully zoom back to 2019 as if the past 18 months never happened and won't leave some sort of enduring legacy on some aspects of life, however minor they may be.

[Stuart93]

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It’s so obvious it surely doesn’t have to be said If all this complacency was before, not after, we’ve already had multiple peaks and troughs, times when the worst was supposed to be over, I’d understand it a bit better. I have no idea what the numbers are going to look like in 3 months and neither do you.

Aye but everyday there’s a higher % of the country vaccinated. The worst is over, let’s not pretend it isn’t, when UK deaths were up towards 1,000 a day that was the worst and it won’t get back to that point.

Because we don’t know how it’ll be in 3 months time isn’t a good enough reason for restrictions to remain for a lot of people anymore. We can’t sit scared of the day we haven’t seen

As others have said it’s personal preference, when the football opens up with a larger capacity the people who don’t feel comfortable with it won’t/don’t have to go whereas people who do will

[superfurryhibby]

It's time we started learning how to live with Covid, it's not going away. I say that as someone who's working life has been deeply immersed in the whole pandemic since it begun. People have had enough. If you don't feel safe, don't go. It's down to choice. I f we banned everything that had risk attached what kind of world would it be?

[Callum_62]

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It's time we started learning how to live with Covid, it's not going away. I say that as someone who's working life has been deeply immersed in the whole pandemic since it begun. People have had enough. If you don't feel safe, don't go. It's down to choice. I f we banned everything that had risk attached what kind of world would it be?

Or maybe a simple thing like wearing a mask allows everyone to 'feel safe' enough to attend



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[WhileTheChief..]

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Are you being serious? If folks don’t know what the meaning of a word/phrase is - like Covid, South African variant or obtuse - then they can look it up on the internet. Then they’ve learned something.

Every person on the planet has learnt the word covid in the last year.

You were just trying to be smart.

[superfurryhibby]

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Or maybe a simple thing like wearing a mask allows everyone to 'feel safe' enough to attend



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I would wear a mask if it meant we could have a full house at games.

I struggle with the inconsistency. Take Wimbledon, packed stadium, VIP's not wearing masks, plebs wearing one. It's as if there's one rule for them and another for the rest or maybe royalty and other celeb's can't get Covid. Football should be treated no different from any other sporting event.

[ElginHibbie]

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I would wear a mask if it meant we could have a full house at games.

I struggle with the inconsistency. Take Wimbledon, packed stadium, VIP's not wearing masks, plebs wearing one. It's as if there's one rule for them and another for the rest or maybe royalty and other celeb's can't get Covid. Football should be treated no different from any other sporting event.

I had a friend who went to Wimbledon as a pleb, he had to show proof of a negative test to get in but there weren't any rules forcing him to wear a mask once in.

To me that's the obvious answer for all of this, prove you've had a vaccine or a recent negative test to get in and once in mask are a personal choice