New restrictions have been put in place over the last week to try and stem the tide of positive cases, with the UK government recommending that work Christmas parties are called off and Covid passports are to be used for social events with a crowd greater than 10,000. That means there’ll be no get-together for the Eagles players and staff this Christmas, with Vieira telling the press on Friday it was the right call to make given the circumstances.
Patrick Viera said: “It’s a part of the culture of this country. We did it a couple of years ago and I know it’s something that the players like to do. But obviously, with the situation we are in, the players decided to cancel that Christmas party, and it was the right thing to do.”
The rising case numbers in the UK have already seen disruption to the Premier League, with Spurs’ game against Brighton this weekend called off due to an outbreak in the Tottenham camp. Vieira, who told the media he is double-jabbed and “strongly believes” others should be too, said that Palace had been actively discussing with their players how they must be disciplined outside of the club’s confines.
Patrick Viera added: “We are really strong on the protocols that the medical staff put in place. And we are really demanding on the players on that side to be really disciplined to think about how they live life outside of the training facility, because I think everything is in place here to really follow what they are doing and how we are doing it. But outside of the training facility we ask them, we spend time talking to them and our doctor is doing a fantastic job on that side.”
