Bubble concept for sporting tournaments during the COVID-19 pandemic: Football Club World Cup
Objectives To report the person-to-staff transmission of COVID-19 with the implementation of a bubble concept that included testing, hygiene, distancing and monitoring strategies to mitigate risks.Methods A prospective case series included all staff on-site involved in the Football Club World Cup. T...
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| Main Authors: | , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
BMJ Publishing Group
2021-06-01
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| Series: | BMJ Open Sport & Exercise Medicine |
| Online Access: | https://bmjopensem.bmj.com/content/7/2/e001126.full |
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| Summary: | Objectives To report the person-to-staff transmission of COVID-19 with the implementation of a bubble concept that included testing, hygiene, distancing and monitoring strategies to mitigate risks.Methods A prospective case series included all staff on-site involved in the Football Club World Cup. The tournament was conducted within ‘bubbles’. All personnel travelling to the tournament were required to be in possession of a negative RT-PCR test within 72 hours of arrival and subjected to a testing schedule during the tournament. Each location was assigned a COVID-19 protocol enforcement officer to ensure adherence to regular testing, hygiene measures, physical distancing and daily symptom reporting (via ScribePro app).Results The study involved 70 recruited staff with a combined 1321 test days on the symptom checker app. The mean number of days completed on the symptom checker app was 18.87 days (range: 7–28). Of the five questions asked as part of the daily symptom checker, only one was answered positively (0.015%). This individual was isolated, assessed within 20 min and tested. The initial diagnosis was likely a non-COVID-19-related viral illness. Further testing returned three negative tests during the remainder of the tournament.Conclusions There was no person-to-staff transmission of COVID-19 during the tournament within our sample. The organisation of a sporting tournament during the COVID-19 pandemic is possible with risk mitigation strategies. These strategies include setting up a bubble with regular testing, hygiene measures, physical distancing and daily symptom reporting. |
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| ISSN: | 2055-7647 |