Though organised play for Pokemon is still on hold for a lot of the world, The Pokemon Company has announced it will be requiring masks at all events, and full vaccination for all attendees at larger ones when they do happen.
The Play! Pokemon organised play series were cancelled in March 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Since them, only a handful of countries have been cleared to host events, which include the Pokemon TCG, Pokken Tournament DX, Sword & Shield, and, new to the 2022 season, Pokemon Go. With the incoming 2022 season, a few more countries have now been approved to host casual events (such as expansion prereleases), with Chile, Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Malta and Uruguay joining New Zealand and Australia.
Although these countries are cleared to host events, The Pokemon Company has outlined its Covid-19 safety requirements, which will be enforced for all official Play! Pokemon events. All events, regardless of size, must wear face masks at all times, with the only exception being if an event has a "clearly separated food service space", distinct from the main play space. Pre- and post-game handshakes are banned and hands must be sanitised when switching opponents, and all attendees must remain at least three feet away from each other at all times.
For larger events that have at least 300 attendees and staff members, there will also be a vaccine requirement. Anybody attending these events in any capacity must have proof that they have been fully vaccinated with a WHO-approved vaccine, with no exceptions. The approved vaccines are Pfizer, Moderna, AstraZeneca, Janssen (Johnson & Johnson), Sinopharm or Sinovac.
Because Play! Pokemon has been shut down for so long, players may qualify for new age brackets now than when they last played in 2019 or early 2020 (those born before 2005 are now in the Masters Division, 2006-2009 in the Senior Division, and 2010 or later are in the Junior Division). Despite this, certain progress will transfer from the cancelled 2020 season to the 2022 season, such as World Championship qualification and Championship points. If you qualified for Worlds in the 2020 season, you are still qualified for thew 2022 championship to be held in London in August, 2022.