There they are again, the ghost games. In the summer, fans still thought that this sad chapter of the sport was closed. It is now clear that the journey through empty stadiums and arenas continues. A mistake.
“Hey, push out! Press! Come on, up there!” We’ll all be the calls of Thomas Müller, Marco Rose or Christian Streich listen to German football pitches. And as loud and clear as it shouldn’t be. Because the stands of the Bundesliga stadiums will again remain empty from January. The reality is called Ghost games. This emerges from the decision of the federal-state conference. The hope is that this will curb the spread of the omicron variant of the coronavirus
But the decision to now completely exclude football fans, but at the same time not to tighten them further in the world of work, is wrong. For several reasons:
1. The risk of infection in the stadium is low
After a few months in summer and autumn 2021 with spectators in stadiums, we know that football is not a pandemic driver. There is virtually no risk of infection in the stands. Aerosol researchers point this out again and again. In outdoor areas, the aerosol cloud is diluted so quickly that hardly anything can happen, especially at a distance. More information is available here in the interview with Dr. Gerhard Scheuch.
To be clear: This is not a plea for full utilization of the stadiums. The signal to the population would be the wrong one. A stadium utilization of 10 to 15 percent, for example, is not.
2. There would be effective measures without reducing the leisure offer
It would be more expedient if the government with the corona measures started where the risk of infection is high: in indoor spaces, in which cramped situations can arise. There you have to ventilate, wear a mask and keep your distance. The risk for visitors to football matches, on the other hand, does not lie in the seat itself, but when traveling to and from the stadium by public transport or visiting an overcrowded stadium toilet. But there is a solution for that. A step has already been taken with the lower capacity utilization in recent weeks.
At the same time, the clubs should open more stadium toilets on match days if they are not all open in individual stadiums anyway. And cities could ensure that buses and trains run at a higher frequency. Coupled with the mask requirement and open windows, that would be an effective measure. In addition, the 2G rule applies to all stadium visitors anyway (as in cinemas and theaters, which are allowed to remain open).
Partially open stadiums could help many people in Germany in this difficult and depressing time because they can continue to pursue their great passion. This is precisely what is important for the psyche in order to have a balance from everyday work. And while we’re at work …
3. What about the jobs?
The government’s measures are primarily lacking in consistency. If leisure activities are shortened or even canceled in order to avoid infections, this should also apply to other areas. But the word Homeoffice did not appear in the draft resolution. Only the 3G regulation at the workplace was on paper, which has existed since the end of November. Stricter controls were not announced, and there was no urgent appeal.
There are numerous jobs that could also be carried out from home. But it will also be in January when the highly contagious Omicron variant from Coronavirus More common, overcrowded buses and trains in rush hour because less than a quarter of the working population do their job from their own four walls. Then full buses and trains are obviously not a major problem. Not all of them are vaccinated there, but the stadium visitors are, thanks to the 2G rule.
For citizens, the protective measures for work remain almost unchanged, while those for leisure are tightened. In a crisis like the pandemic, which causes frustration, stress and fear, it would be best for your own immune defense and thus also for the number of infections if it were the other way around.
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