By Tony O’Riley-
A Committee of Mps have criticized a decision to allow 60,00 fans to attend the semi finals of the Euro world cup.
The European parliament’s committee on public health have called for Uefa and the British government to reconsider their decision to allow Wembley to host the matches at 75% of its 90,000 capacity.
The serious concern has been supported by a letter from the European parliament’s committee on environment and public health, citing the 10-fold increase in UK coronavirus cases since early May.
The letter calls on European parliament president, David Sassoli, to urge his fellow EU leaders to take the matter up with Uefa and the UK government. The issues that arise relate to facts and interpretation- most notable those indicating a rise in the spread of of the Delta variant.
Citing recent forecasts that show the more transmissible Delta variant is likely to account for 90% of all coronavirus cases in Europe by the end of August, the MEPs say Uefa should reconsider its decision to hold the matches at Wembley, or “at the least that Uefa and the UK authorities reassess health safety measures and the crowd capacity decision”.
The MEPs do not propose an alternative number of spectators. ”Despite the worrisome situation, the UK government decided to increase crowd capacity at Wembley. We consider this decision a recipe for disaster, the MEP’s wrote.
The statement follows statistical data that the Uk recorded over 26,000 cases of the coronavirus yesterday, but new Health Secretary Sajid Javid has said ”we have to learn to live with the virus”. Javid has set his standards high by expressing confidence of societal progress without further restrictions on our liberties, under a system that would have no deadline. Rules associated with self isolation will continue for those who test positive for the coronavirus, but Mr.Javid was to return the Uk back to normal.
Returning back to normal will not mean those who should be self isolating escape the requirement, prime minister Boris Johnson stressed today. Downing Street emphasized that the drive to gradually return things back to normal a will not have different requirements for isolation with respect to those who have bene infected with the virus.
Primer minister, Boris Johnson, rejected calls for self-isolation rules for pupils to be abandoned now, urging parents to be patient. The government has also indicated that as from September, it wants to stop pupils having to isolate if they have been in a “bubble” with someone testing positive, allowing them to get tested daily instead. Earlier this week it was revealed that at least one pupil in 20 is absent from school in England, mainly because they are having to isolate.
An estimated 50 Tory MPs have written to Johnson calling for the bubble system to be extended beyond 19 July .The prime minister expressed his views that that “double jabs will be a liberator”, enabling fully vaccinated people to travel abroad without having to quarantine on their return. But he refused to confirm a report that this system would come into force from 26 July. He said he would be setting out more details “in the next few days”.