Copenhagen: As Covid infections climb again in Europe, fuelled by the deadly Delta variant which has been sweeping the globe, the World Health Organization (WHO) called for better monitoring of Euro 2020 football matches on Thursday.
Hundreds of cases have been found among spectators at Euro games across the continent, with the Delta strain being detected in Copenhagen, and Scots and Finns, respectively, returning from London and Saint Petersburg, carrying the virus.
As a measure to boost protection, European football’s governing body has canceled all tickets sold to UK residents for this weekend’s quarter-final match in Rome.
Despite a strong vaccination drive, Russia posted another record day of virus deaths on Thursday, and the United Kingdom is experiencing record levels of infections despite next week’s Euro final.
Portuguese authorities have decided to re-impose a night curfew on 45 towns, including the capital Lisbon, from this weekend in order to contain the Delta variant as well.
‘There will be a new wave in the WHO European region unless we remain disciplined,’ the UN agency’s Europe director Hans Kluge warned.
Over the past week, cases in the region had increased by 10 percent, ‘driven by increased mixing, travel, gatherings and easing of social restrictions’.
When asked if the Euro championship might be a ‘super-spreader’ event, Kluge replied: ‘I hope not… but this can’t be excluded.’
The coronavirus has killed more than 3.9 million people worldwide, according to the media report.
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