Covid, 4500 cases for the European Championship final between England and Italy

The matches of Euro 2020 have caused more than 9 thousand Covid infections in Great Britain.

More than half of these are related to the final, played in Wembley, Between Italy and England. This is revealed by a British government study that highlights how the European football tournament, won by Mancini's Italy, has generated “a significant risk to public health.”

More than'85% of all the infections relating to the period of 49 days, rich in various outdoor sporting, musical and entertainment events, are linked to the eight Euro 2020 matches played in London, and mainly to the semi-final and final.

The opposite result was obtained instead for Wimbledon which had a much lower impact, just 881 cases out of over 300 thousand fans present at the matches.

The study, conducted by Departments of Culture and Public safety, specifically talks about 9.402 positive swabs with 3.036 people reporting symptoms two days after attending matches.

“Euro 2020, and England’s long road to the final, created a significant public health risk across the UK even as England played abroad”, the report states. “This risk did not only arise from the individuals attending the event itself, but also included the activities undertaken during the trip and associated social activities.”

The contagion spread especially around the stadium's refreshment points with crowds of people crowding to stock up on food and drinks. But the study explains that the Euro 2020 spectators they used masks poorly and poorly. Mass riots, with many people trying to enter the stadium without tickets, were another cause of the spread of the virus.

“Euro 2020 was a unique opportunity. It is unlikely that we will see a similar impact in terms of Covid-19 cases from future events,” the researchers write. “However, the data shows how easily the virus can spread when there is close contact, and this should be a warning to all of us as we try to return to a cautious normality.”

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In addition to the European Football Championships and Wimbledon, events monitored included a number of international cricket matches, the Royal Ascot, the tournament of Golf Open in Kent, Goodwood Festival of Speed and the music festival Download.