With two friendly matches due at St Mary's this week ahead of the season's home opener against Manchester United in a fortnight the club have issued safety advice to Saints supporters.
Saints have slotted in two home friendly fixture against Levante and Athletic Club of Bilbao to complete their pre season programme, but the two matches also serve another purpose and that is to fine tune the club's own safety measures as St Mary's looks to host a game with something like a capacity crowd for the first time in 18 months when United arrive.
For information purposes we have reproduced the club's instructions here.
As we look forward to welcoming back fans to St Marys for our two home pre-season friendlies next week against Levante and Athletic Club, we feel it is important to keep supporters updated with the latest information and guidance for attending matches.
As there is currently no official guidance to say those attending matches must be double vaccinated for Covid-19, nor that face masks must be worn in outside areas, this is not a requirement for supporters attending these two matches.
However, the club does recommend supporters follow government and local authority advice, which currently recommends that people should be vaccinated where possible, as it is demonstrating a positive impact against the spread of Covid-19.
The UK Government also recommend that members of the public continue to wear face coverings in crowded and enclosed spaces where you come into contact with people you don’t normally meet, particularly indoors.
The club also recommends every supporter, whether double vaccinated or not, take a lateral flow test prior to attending either match.
The club will have a number of safety measures in place though cannot completely eliminate the risk of Covid-19 and, though we want to see as many supporters back as possible, any who do not feel comfortable should not be attending.
Anyone who has any Covid-19 symptoms, has been in contact with others who have tested positive recently, or are required to self-isolate are asked to not attend.
Supporters should be respectful to each other and take a responsible and considerate approach to fellow supporters and staff at the stadium.
We also ask that good hygiene procedures are followed throughout your visit to St Mary’s, queues are avoided where possible and that you only sit on the seat you have been assigned.
The club shall monitor the latest guidelines and continue to communicate any changes that occur to supporters over the upcoming weeks and months.
We thank you for your respect in adhering to the current guidelines and look forward to seeing you at the stadium and watching the action on the pitch.