‘Not afraid of Coronavirus,’ say Russian Euro 2020 Organisers

Even though COVID-19 cases in Saint Petersburg in Russia continue to climb, authorities claim they have taken the necessary health and safety precautions and are ready to co-host the UEFA Euro 2020 matches in the city.

The city will host seven matches of the tournament which was postponed by a year last summer, including a quarter-final match.

Head of the local organizing committee Alexei Sorokin believes that the city is capable of providing the correct measures and expressed confidence while speaking to the media during a press event recently. “We are sure that we can provide all safety measures, we are not afraid,” said Sorokin.

The organisers also went on to clarify that fans will need to wear their masks at all times and they will need a negative RT-PCR Covid Test report. Saint Petersburg’s stadium Gazprom Arena will only accommodate fans up to fifty percent of its capacity during Euro 2020.

Though according to a government report, more than 800 new daily cases in the city for the first time since late March requiring a temporary Covid hospital that had stopped operations to be put back into operation, the Russian authorities declared that foreign Euro 2020 ticket holders will not require a visa and will be allowed to enter the country.

Russia has been among the countries worst-hit by the Coronavirus pandemic and they account for the sixth-highest number of cases in the world. The first wave of COVID-19 last year saw Russia imposing a very strict and severe lockdown and most measures were lifted from the month of December. Russia also began a mass vaccination campaign that month.

On Tuesday, UEFA announced that teams that are hit by COVID-19 cases or are stuck in mandatory quarantine will get an additional 48 hours to bring new players in. Next month’s Euro 2020 tournament will also see countries with expanded 26-men squads instead of the usual 23-men contingents to help the teams and players cope with the pressures of the pandemic.

The tournament will consist of 51 matches to be played over a period of 31 days with a few extra days in hand as backups.
UEFA also announced that matches will go ahead as per normal schedule if a team at least 13 players, including a goalkeeper, available for selection.