British authorities warned against large gatherings ahead of the Euro 2020 football final today, fearful of the highly transmissible Delta coronavirus variant that has fuelled outbreaks across the world.
Many nations have been forced to reimpose curbs as they battle outbreaks accelerated by the variant – which was first detected in India – while also trying to ramp up vaccinations to allow their economies to reopen.
London will host 65,000 fans at Wembley Stadium for the final of the virus-delayed Euro 2020 championship, the biggest crowd at a British football stadium since the start of the pandemic, as the home side take on Italy.
Authorities are particularly concerned about the risk of large gatherings at fan zones and pubs across England to watch the country’s first appearance in a major football final in more than half a century.
“London still remains in a public health crisis,” Metropolitan Police Deputy Assistant Commissioner Laurence Taylor said Saturday, urging people to remain socially distanced.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has signalled he intends to ease all…
