Euro finals? Epidemic trouble for England! Thousands of people at Wembley have been infected

More than 9,000 new cases of coronavirus infections linked to European Championship football matches held at Wembley have been revealed by a survey by the British Health Service. It said the fact that England had made it to the final of the championship also played a part.

Data collected and evaluated by the NHS (National Health Service in Britain) shows that 3 036 spectators contracted the disease during the seven Euro matches played on English soil. Outside the stadium, a further 6376 people were thought to have been infected in connection with these matches.

The largest number of infections came from the final match of the tournament itself between home team England and Italy, for which 100% of the English national stadium capacity was allowed. Some 67,000 people thus watched the triumph of the southern Europeans, of whom 3,404 became infected despite all precautions and efforts to prevent the spread of the virus, with 2,295 fans expected to be infectious during the match.

The authors of the survey thus did not hesitate to describe the journey of the English footballers to their first international tournament final since 1966 as very risky for the public health of the whole country.

“The risk did not just come from individuals attending the match itself, but from all the activities associated with it,” the NHS said. “At semi-final matches and finals, the coronavirus measures in place were less effective than they have been at other sporting events for similar masses of people.”

But Dr Jenifer Smith, deputy director of the English health authority, adds that this year’s Euros was unique in many respects, making it unlikely that a similarly significant increase in infections would occur at other sporting and social events.

Incidentally, the NHS has also analysed data from the largest spectator sporting event on British soil in the last 18 months, the British Formula One Grand Prix, which attracted a total of 350,000 enthusiasts over three days. The whole event produced only 585 new positives.

And for the third time: Wimbledon tennis, the Grand Slam, which attracted 300 000 spectators over two weeks, left behind 881 cases of infection.

“I think we have shown ourselves, and hopefully the world, that sports and cultural events can be safely staged again for large masses of people. But it is important that people remain as careful as possible when mixing in crowded areas,” mentioned British Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden.

Source: Sky Sports