Alarm in the Eurocup due to the rise in cases of the Delta variant of the coronavirus: what measures are analyzed

The Eurocup It was the first competition between national teams that has been held with a large number of public in the stadiums since the start of the coronavirus pandemic. The drop in cases and the vaccination plan allowed the organizers to open the doors to the fans who filled the stands, although rarely was the capacity of a venue 100%. But now new data has lit the warning light.

The Scottish health authorities identified almost 2,000 cases of covid-19 among people who attended events of the European Football Championship, in full debate about the celebration of the semifinals and final at London’s Wembley Stadium. Between June 11 and 28, 1,991 of the 32,539 Scottish residents who tested positive for the coronavirus were identified as attending one or two events related to the European Championship. when they were contagious, Public Health Scotland noted in a statistical report released Wednesday.

This figure includes spectators who attended one or more matches in the Hampden Park (Glasgow) or Wembley (London) stadiums, the Glasgow ‘fan zone’ or informal gatherings, in pubs or at people’s homes. Almost two-thirds (1,294) said they came to London for some event related to the tournament, including 397 people to attend the Scotland-England (0-0) on June 18 at Wembley.

The publication of these figures takes place in controversy over UEFA’s decision to host the semi-finals and final at Wembley, when the United Kingdom suffers a significant increase in the Delta variant, more contagious and dominant in the country now.

The Vice President of the European Commission Margaritis Schinas recently expressed his doubts about this project, estimating that UEFA would have to “carefully analyze” a decision that “is not innocent”.

According to the British government, more than 60,000 spectators will be allowed in the stands at Wembley for the semi-finals and the final of the European Championship, instead of the 40,000 initially planned, in a venue with a maximum capacity of 90,000 seats. However, the rise in infections could activate the reverse with respect to the expansion of capacity.

Last week, Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi wished that the final “does not take place in a country where infections are growing rapidly”. Meanwhile, England fans have been urged not to travel to Rome for the Euro Cup quarter-final match against Ukraine, as due to coronavirus restrictions, fans traveling from Great Britain would face five days of quarantine. and therefore they would miss the match even if they have tickets.

Covid-19 infections are on the rise again in Europe after falling for two and a half months, mainly due to the Delta variant in the UK and Russia, according to a count made Tuesday by AFP. The two countries have experienced not only the most new cases in Europe, but also the fastest spread among those who have recorded more than 1,000 cases per day.

In the UK, the number of new deaths has almost doubled in two weeks, from around ten a day to 17 last week. But the number is still well below levels during the January peak, when nearly 1,250 people died every day.

The Eurocup will celebrate the quarterfinals between Friday and Saturday. Switzerland must be measured against Spain, Belgium against Italy, the Czech Republic against Denmark and England will do the same with Ukraine. The four qualifiers will then travel to London for the semifinals on July 6 and 7, while the grand final will be played on Sunday the 11th, at Wembley.

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With information from AFP