Many eyes were turned on Friday towards Perpignan. By receiving the green light from the prefecture of Pyrénées-Orientales to accommodate 8,000 spectators in the Aimé-Giral stadium, while the maximum level in the midst of an epidemic crisis has been set at at least 5,000 until October 31, the club of USAP rugby went through a life-size test. An incomplete test since only 5,400 people finally passed through the doors of the enclosure.
In order for the authorities to grant their exemption, the resident of Pro D2 who received Colomiers in a friendly match had to respect a strict health protocol: presales of places encouraged on the Internet (rather than at the ticket office) and e-tickets, opening of the doors two hours before the match, spectators gathered "in tribe" (friends or family) of ten individuals with a distance from the groups, take-out refreshments with only one person per group in charge of the orders.
To facilitate movement within the enclosure, which can normally accommodate up to 14,593 spectators, the half-time has been extended (20 minutes instead of 15). Finally, wearing a mask is mandatory throughout the meeting and hydroalcoholic gel was available at two points of passage. Outside, access to the stadium has also been opened for each stand (instead of every other door) to avoid crowds with a traffic plan and additional security guards to guide supporters.
Authorization granted in view of the local context
“All these guarantees were appreciated to authorize the meeting in view of the local context, confirms the prefecture. Because in addition to this organization, the Pyrénées-Orientales have a very low virality rate, with a Covid-19 incidence rate of 10.4 compared to 28 in France. We are the least affected department in the region, after Lozère ”. For USAP, this authorization is a positive signal for the rest of the season: “We hope to renew this agreement for the next official matches. It was a test to confirm the effectiveness of the protocol and to be able to further increase the gauge, ”says Anthony Castady, stadium manager and health referent of the Catalan club.
On the supporters side, the instructions were quickly adopted last night. “If it allows us to see the match that's a good thing! »Jean-Michel and Vélia decide. “There was also a lot of upstream com on the Internet, says Jonathan. Even the players participated on Facebook to show us the barrier gestures in the stadium. »Instructions also well received by Greg and his young friends:« We are already used to wearing the mask so that does not change much, we are especially very happy to be able to find the stadium… We are just a little more careful! "