This figure includes spectators who attended one or more matches in stadiums in Scotland and England, the “fan zone”, informal meetings, in pubs or homes, according to the AFP news agency.
The Scottish Government detected today almost 2,000 infections of Covid-19 among people who went to events related to the European Championship, something that happens in the middle of the debate about the holding of matches at Wembley Stadium in the United Kingdom, a country that today registered its highest number of cases since the end of January, as a result of the expansion of the Delta variant.
The Scottish Ministry of Health reported that between June 11 and June 28, 1,991 Scottish residents who tested positive for the coronavirus were identified as attending, while contagious, one or two events related to the European Football Championship.
This figure includes spectators who attended one or more matches in stadiums in Scotland and England, the “fan zone” of the Scottish city of Glasgow, informal meetings, in pubs or homes, according to the AFP news agency.
1,294 people reported having attended an event in London related to the tournament, including 397 people who said they attended the Scotland-England on June 18 at Wembley Stadium in London.
The publication of these figures takes place in the heat of controversy over the decision of the Union of European Football Federations (UEFA) to organize the semifinals and the final at Wembley when the United Kingdom suffers a significant increase in the Delta variant, more contagious and now dominant in the country.
The vice president of the European Commission Margaritis Schinas recently expressed his “doubts”, estimating that UEFA would have to “carefully analyze” a decision that “is not innocent”.
For his part, the German Interior Minister, Horst Seehofer, yesterday asked the British Government and UEFA to reduce the number of fans allowed at Wembley Stadium for Eurocup matches.
“I find it irresponsible that tens of thousands of people congregate in tight spaces in countries at risk from the highly contagious Delta variant,” said Seehofer.
Last week, Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi said he wishes the final “does not take place in a country where infections are growing rapidly.”
According to the British Government, more than 60,000 spectators will be allowed in the Wembley stands for the semi-finals and the final of the Eurocup, instead of the 40,000 originally planned, in a venue with a maximum capacity of 90,000 seats.
Despite having more than 44.7 million people vaccinated with the first dose, that is, 84.9% of its population, the United Kingdom reported 26,068 new infections by Covid-19 today, the highest number of daily cases since January 29.
