Is it safe to have so many fans in stadiums at the Euros?
England are through to the semi-finals of Euro 2020 after making light work of Ukraine in Rome on Saturday night, meaning they will now face Denmark at Wembley on Wednesday evening. The stadium will be three-quarters full, with 60,000 people in attendance, giving England a decided home advantage over the Danes at a tournament that has seen games played in cities across the continent, from Seville to St Petersburg and Baku, rather than have one dedicated host nation as is customary. While that is great news for fans desperate to be there in person after a year of pandemic misery to cheer on Gareth Southgates men - now just two games from glory - the decision has attracted criticism in some quarters as a deeply unwise move, given that cases of the Delta variant of the coronavirus are continuing to rise around the UK and such large gatherings are likely to create the ideal conditions for encouraging transmission. The Euros are being used by the governments Events Research Programme to trial mass spectator gatherings and monitor Covid-19 infection rates with a view to welcoming back other live events as society begins the complex business of returning to normal after lockdown. Approximately 22,500 fans attended Englands first three group stage games at the tournament - around 25 per cent of Wembleys capacity - but that was almost doubled for the Germany match and will be upped again to 60,000 for the Denmark clash, as well as at Tuesday nights other semi between Italy and Spain, which is also being played at Wembley, as is the final on Sunday. Theres currently a major scramble underway among England fans for tickets, with thousands likely to be left disappointed, but those spectators lucky enough to gain entry to the national stadium will still need to prove that they are fully-vaccinated (presenting the NHS app for confirmation), with both doses received at least 14 days before the game, or show proof of a negative lateral flow test taken within the previous 48 hours. We are thrilled that more fans will now be able to walk through the Wembley turnstiles and enjoy the finals of Euro 2020, culture secretary Oliver Dowden has said of the decision to boost attendance. As we continue to make progress on our roadmap out of lockdown, keeping the public safe remains our top priority. Following Englands 2-0 second round victory over old rivals Germany, the latters interior minister, Horst Seehofer complained that it was absolutely irresponsible to have allowed 40,000 fans into Wembley. I think this UEFA position is absolutely irresponsible and commerce must not outshine the protection of the population against infection, he said. He also appealed to the tournaments organiser not to push this off on local health authorities and said Europes governing body should say we dont want it this way and were reducing the numbers of spectators. While it might be tempting to laugh off Mr Seehofers remarks as sour grapes given his teams defeat, to do so would be to ignore a legitimate public safety concern. UEFA responded to his comments by saying it was fully aligned with local health authorities guidelines at every venue. The final decisions with regards to the number of fans attending matches and the entry requirements to any of the host countries and host stadiums fall under the responsibility of the competent local authorities, and UEFA strictly follows any such measures.  Mr Seehofer has by no means been alone in expressing his concern, with the World Health Organisations senior emergency officer Kate Smallwood warning that: In a context of increasing transmission, large mass gatherings can act as amplifiers.  We need to look at how people get there: Are they travelling in large, crowded convoys of buses? she added. Are they going into crowded bars and pubs? If mixing happens among people who are not fully vaccinated, there will be cases.  Stephen Reicher, a professor of psychology at the University of St Andrews who sits on the governments own Sage sub-committee, has also sounded the alarm that games could become super-spreader events. By opening games to 60,000 fans without any mention of risk, they send a message to 60 million fans at home that the danger has gone away, that it is safe to embrace anyone whether during the game or indeed at any time, he said. The most alarming development so far was the news that around 1,300 Scotland fans tested positive for Covid after travelling to London on 18 June for their teams 0-0 draw with England, having descended on the capital against the advice of Public Health Scotland (PHS). Of that total, only an estimated 397 had actually been at Wembley, but many more Scots made the trip to London without match tickets, congregating in Piccadilly Circus and Leicester Square to belt out Yes Sir, I Can Boogie and to celebrate their sides return to tournament football after a 23-year hiatus in raucous fashion. PHS analysis published last week revealed that 1,991 people who subsequently tested positive had attended one or more Euro 2020 events during their infection period, a moment when they may have unknowingly transmitted their infection to others. Billy Gilmour, arguably Scotlands star player on the night, also subsequently tested positive, forcing two England players - Mason Mount and Ben Chilwell, his clubmates at Chelsea - to isolate and miss the sides next match against the Czechs because they had spent time chatting with him at close quarters after the final whistle. Lets hope not. Precautions are in place and the rules for entry are strict but the moves to increase the number of supporters allowed to attend from 22,500 as recently as 22 June to 60,000 on Wednesday does certainly seem a little on the cavallier side. As for Southgates Three Lions, well, the signs are extremely encouraging. Harry Kane looked rejuvenated in Rome, scoring twice and coming close to completing his hattrick with a searing volley later on, and the rest of the team played with uncharacteristic verve and zest, controlling the game and looking deadly from set pieces once again. Should they beat a very popular and capable Denmark side, playing for teammate Christian Eriksen who continues his recovery after suffering a heart attack in their opening match, England would go on to face either Roberto Mancinis Italy or Luis Enriques Spain. We know which wed prefer.