The Carabao Cup final, the second FA Cup semi-final and the FA Cup final will serve as Wembley pilot events for the British government’s “COVID-19 status certification” scheme.
The plan is to enable the safe return of mass gatherings and indoor events as lockdown restrictions ease in England.
Officials are preparing a series of trial events over the coming months as they look to find a way for fans to return to sports venues.
The FA Cup semi-final between Leicester City and Southampton at the national stadium on April 18 will see football fans return for the first time since December.
Government officials have 4,000 fans will be able to attend.
Manchester City face Tottenham in the Carabao Cup final seven days later with 8,000 fans watching.
The month-long scheme will conclude with the FA Cup final on May 15, when 21,000 fans will be attending.
The World Snooker Championship at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield —— running from April 17 to May 3 —— is the first sports event to be included in the trial.
It will have 1,000 spectators per day while there will also be a mass participation run at Hatfield House on April 24 and April 25.
In developing the scheme, officials will take into account three factors.
These are: whether an individual has received the vaccine, has recently tested negative for the virus, or has “natural immunity” having tested positive in the previous six months.
The National Health Service (NHS) is said to be currently working on ways of providing people with the means to demonstrate their COVID-19 status through “digital and non-digital routes”.
Prime minister Boris Johnson said: “We have made huge strides over the past few months with our vaccine programme and everyone in the country has made huge sacrifices to get us to this stage in our recovery from COVID-19.
“We are doing everything we can to enable the reopening of our country so people can return to the events, travel and other things they love as safely as possible.
“These reviews will play an important role in allowing this to happen.”(dpa/NAN)
•PHOTO: Wembley Stadium
