France imposes COVID restrictions on attending sporting events

France has become the latest nation to limit spectators at football matches with new Covid rules announced on December 27 limiting outdoor gatherings to just 5,000 people, Report informs referring to DailyMail.

The French Prime Minister Jean Castex has moved in response to the rapid spread of the Omicron variant, which has affected much of Europe and coincided with multiple outbreaks of Covid - especially among Premier League sides in England.

The new measures from Monday, for at least the next three weeks, will limit all public gatherings to 2,000 people for indoor events and 5,000 for outdoor events.

Although the strain appears milder than previous variants, officials in France have warned that hospitals face being overwhelmed following a record 100,000 positive test results being reported on December 25.

The numbers are the highest daily levels in France since the start of the pandemic nearly two years ago.

It follows similar measures taken in Germany where 15,000 fans are now restricted to Bundesliga matches following rules brought in earlier in December.